Moore first touched a 35mm camera when he inherited his grandfather's Yashica SLR at age seventeen. It initially mystified him and he remembers knowing fourteen-year-old friends who did photography and wondering if, at seventeen, he was too old to learn.
He brought the camera on a trip to France and, amazed by the visuals in Paris, began shooting everything he could. Subsequent trips to Europe fed his passion for photography and he began to build a serious portfolio, including Eva Herzgova's first comp card. From that point on, until he turned pro, his residence was never without a darkroom.
After earning a Masters degree in Communications, Ric moved to Dallas for a summer and found work as a photographer's assistant. Knowing that David Mecey, the longtime Playboy photographer, was based in Dallas, he looked for an opportunity to meet him. The encounter came at a party given by Mecey and was aided by the fact that Moore and Mecey look alike. People kept confusing the two and it became a running joke at the party. Once introduced, the two hit it off and Mecey hired Moore as his assistant.
Ric credits Mecey and others, such as Playboy's Kevin Kuster and Jeff Cohen, with supporting and mentoring his career. "
Long term relationships have been the keys to my success," Moore says. "
People see what I do now and ask, 'How'd you get your break?, as if Playboy just picked me off the street or I sent in a photo and they loved it. That isn't what happened."
"My success with Playboy has been based not just on my ability as a photographer but also on trust and reliability. David was very generous to me and often suggested me for jobs. When David needed surgery and asked me to sub for him, I did the job right. But I knew, when David was able to return, as cool as those jobs were, they belonged to David. He trusted me and that kind of trust has advanced my career. It ultimately gave me an entre to Playboy."
For hardware, Ric recently started using a Canon 5D for digital work, adding to the Nikon gear he had used for film. He relies mostly on the 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom lenses and a favorite 20mm prime lens.
His advice for models:
"I think that a girl today needs to educate herself on the areas of modeling she is interested in. It can be all just for fun. The fun of shooting, of having a page up, can be a great way to express beauty and creativity. For many this is all the fulfillment that they are looking for. But as a career, you have to know what the markets are and how you might fit into them. I frequently meet girls who are 5'6" and want to be fashion models. That is not going to happen. Check the online resources on modeling and find what you are suited for."
Ric also warns about pitfalls:
"Women have to be careful and check references to make sure they are in a safe situation and that the photos won't fall into the wrong hands. And both models and photographers have to be aware of copyrights and model releases."
Ric operates out of a huge 6,500 sq. ft. studio in Dallas but is on the road so much that he has begun to put the studio up for rent. "
I am rarely there these days, and it makes little sense to have it just sit unused," he says.
Ric can be reached at
ric@ricmoore.com
