At the beginning of The Shot, VH1's series about the “next great fashion photographer,” Dean Zulich appeared destined for reality show villain status. His aggressive demeanor was off-putting and his strong sense of self seemed to veer into arrogance.

However, during the show, he did seem humbled and chastened at times by his own difficulty in several of the challenges. While he did, on occasion, regain some of his confident swagger, he became more likable as it was clear he was truly driven by his passion for photography, and therefore appeared willing to try to incorporate useful critiques when he could.

He has written about each of the challenges on The Shot, including his perspective on the all-important final challenge on the show.

“Going into final challenge," Dean wrote, "we were given about 30 [Victoria's Secret] catalogs to get a feel of the cover look. None of the catalogs had the strobe for lighting nor the head gear included, so I decided to stay away from it. Light was getting better by minutes, and I said to myself ‘if it ain't broke, don't fix it.'”

As of the end of December, though, he is still eagerly anticipating the results of his shoot. “Unfortunately, I have yet to see what I firmly believe are my best images from that shoot. I also shot at the part of the balcony with nice direct light; gold fill on the side and a majestic house in the background that screams wealth and a 'guilty pleasure'. The background sure was way out of focus yet story telling. The shot I am dying to see however the one on the rocks with a huge wave is breaking behind gorgeous Alessandra in the foreground.”

However, despite his satisfaction with his efforts, he admits he can see that he might not have actually been the right fit for The Shot, which, again, aimed to find the next great fashion photographer.

He wrote, “Now, in the last episode extras on VH1.com Russell made a point that I am truly an advertisement photographer, and you know what? He is right. Fashion photography, especially catalogue can be creatively insufficient for me personally and I do want more from my work. As for the outcome of the Shot, once I (hopefully) get all the images, I will let you be the judge. Best of luck to Maria, and all of my fellow contestants. Huge thanks to Russell for guidance and inspiration. This has been an amazing experience, I really did my best.”

- Leslie Seaton, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Dean Zulich's MySpace
(Image courtesy of VH1)