There were athletes from 11 different sports on the top-earners list including boxing, baseball, basketball, cricket, football, golf, soccer, and tennis, but members of the UFC were noticeably absent. The last-placed person on the list earned approximately $16 million.

As far as boxing and the UFC are concerned, there’s an ongoing debate about which sport is tougher to master. However, in reality they’re both grueling combat sports that consist of endless training and punishing bouts. When it comes to earnings though, boxing and the UFC are simply worlds apart. Legendary boxers such as Muhammad Ali and George Foreman were sharing $10 million purses as far back as 1974, while according to estimated records, no UFC fighter has made that amount in their entire career.

Athletic commissions started releasing UFC purses publicly back in 2004 with the UFC 46 event. These figures include a fighter’s salary, plus bonuses made for their bouts. They don’t include sponsorship money or any unreported bonuses though, such as a percentage of pay-per-view earnings. Still, without any possible added income public records show that the now-retired  Chuck Liddell is the highest-grossing UFC athlete of all time with career earnings of $4,320,000,. This is about $30 million less than Mayweather makes for one boxing match.

You can read more of this in our March/April 2013 issue of ModelsMania. Subscribe now so you don’t miss a single issue!

Maldives has a diverse and unique territory like every paradise island. Besides one of the top destinations for spending a perfect honeymoon or cruise, practicing water sports and relaxing on the beach, it is also known as one of the best places for exotic photo shoots.  Even with a random camera you will have great photos thanks to the terrific landscape. Many say this is the one place on earth which has modern services but offers that feeling of “hiding from the rest of the world” and experience adventures of a lifetime. If you love photography then this is the place where you will feel at home. Maldives is an offering place for great photo shoots in the middle of nature or in the urban jungle. Discover its charm step by step and then decide which is the perfect spot for you. We thought it would be helpful to know some of the best places which deserve to be seen and immortalize. So you can find below a list of seven places and ideas where you can create the scenery you like.  Each one has infinite potential and puts your imagination to the test.

1. Beach huts

Not far from the mysterious sea and the white beaches there are the huts. Maybe at first sight they don’t inspire you too much. Maybe you will find them too rustic for your tastes. But imagine this… Maldives is an exotic tourist destination with elegant hotels and first class services. Everywhere you look you can see this sight has been blessed by Mother Nature. Their geographical location offers a tropical climate and luxuriant vegetation. People from this part of the world have discovered how to build in harmony with nature. But how can you not when you are in the middle of an inspiring place? Take your camera and surprise your muse walking on the small bridge of a bungalow. It’s like seeing a small building rising from the sea. All around there is this magical crystal clear blue water which embraces the wooden logs. On the outside they may look old and dusty, with roofs made from palm tree leaves, still enduring the hot sun or cold rain and the rough winds of monsoons. It seems to have the air of a hut in the wilderness. But take a look inside… The floors are paved with perfectly crafted wood covered by mats, thick bamboo or coconut pillars firmly holding this romantic hiding place. Baldachin bed, soft blankets made from the finest cotton, each evening arranged in some other way. How do you feel now? The thought of an old hut disappeared. Instead, it turned to be a terrific place for photo shoots out in the open or inside between the worm coconut wood walls. Just get the perfect light and your pictures will be amazing.

You can read more in the March/April 2013 issue of ModelsMania. Subscribe today and don’t miss a single issue!

“Fifteen Minutes of Fame”

Warhol coined the common expression “fifteen minutes of fame”, which is reflective of how he had become a subject of different art works that range from documentary and feature films to retrospective exhibitions and books.

Living openly as a gay man before the gay liberation movement, Warhol was renowned to the Bohemian community and wealthy patrons alike. His studio was a meeting place for playwrights, Hollywood celebrities, intellectuals, and drag queens.

At present, his art works are considered highly valuable and collectible. In 2009, The Economist reported that Warhol’s 1963 canvass known as the Eight Elvises was sold for US$100 million. This is the most expensive Andy Warhol painting to date.

Clearly, the expression “fifteen minutes of fame” is not true for this artist. Two decades after his death, Andy Warhol remains one of the most important names in the visual art movement and beyond. His contribution to the contemporary culture and art has cultivated and inspired many creative thinkers all over the world.

His enduring work with images clearly debunks his own statement that everyone can be famous for just fifteen minutes. Clearly, Andy Warhol has created a cult following of dedicated scholars and fans for years.

High and Low Culture – The Collapse of Boundaries

Other than enduring imagery, Andy Warhol’s legacy to the arts is his contribution to the collapse of the divide between high and low culture. He combined popular media with “high art”. All the messy details of life and its ordinariness are celebrated in Warhol’s art and broadcasted to receptive audience.

He captured details of life from his interactions to his activities and documented it using his beloved Minox 35EL camera. Keep in mind that he did all these decades before the use of portable media became accessible.

You can read more in the March/April 2013 issue of ModelsMania. Subscribe today!

Underwater Photography – Underwater photography requires the photographer to be a trained diver as well. Looking at it the other way round, a diver could acquire photography skills to become an underwater photographer.  In fact with a job like this, the importance of photographic skills could actually take a back seat since the very life of the photographer would be on line with the other skill of diving.

Fly-by Photography – This is a form of aerial photography where the photographer shoots from an airborne aircraft. Point to note – not all forms of aerial photography require the use of an aircraft; images taken from elevated vantage points such as buildings and bridges also constitute aerial photography. Fly-by photography has recently been gaining popularity in the commercial markets, although it has been used for decades for various reconnaissance related reasons and mapping.

Wild Life – Wild life photography is probably one of the most sought after photography careers. Most people want to become wild life photographers because of the wrong reasons though – because it sounds impressive and there is a certain amount of glamour associated with it. In reality, professional wild life photography requires weeks and months of patience to get the right images. Also, these photographers need to rough it out in the deepest jungles of the world, go without basic comforts for long periods and face unimaginable hurdles from natural elements to get their job done.

War Correspondents – This much sought after job is probably the most controversial and dangerous. War photographers put their lives on the line for every war image that we see in newspapers and on the web. The job requires an extremely strong outlook to life, a certain amount of objectivity and subjectivity at the same time, a street smart attitude and a lust for photography that finally provides the fuel to go on. We often hear of a journalist being held for ransom in the Middle East, journalists going missing in dangerous area and photographers being warned to stay away from certain places.

More and more amateur photographers have been interested in travelling to hard to reach destinations to photograph breath taking views, of late. Nothing compares to sitting back at home and looking at a slide show of images that one went to great lengths to photograph, and we fully agree with that.  As exciting as all this may sound, if you do not want your photo trips to turn into photo disasters, you need to follow certain safety measures and take precautions for both your own self and your camera gear. The aim of this article is to help you with these precautionary measures.

Nigel Lythgoe, American Idol’s producer, responded to Cowell’s tweet stating that there is no problem with the Idol winner taking on the X-Factor and The Voice winners except that American Idol’s winner would have been a star by then. Shots have been fired from different sides but who gets the upper hand?

Clearly, Simon has voiced out what fans of talent shows wish to see. Who would not want to see this face off? If the marketing is done properly, it could accumulate enough viewers for a huge ratings success.  Imagine the huge fan base of all three talent shows combined. The event would be a great attraction for commercials and other sponsorships which means profit for the producers. On the other hand, it would be a great treat for fans of the shows.

As for whether or not this project will ever see the light of day remains speculative. Logistically, Simon’s proposal is difficult to achieve. American Idol and The Voice are aired during the spring. American Idol tour happens over the summer as X Factor begins in September. In terms of possibility, American Idol will never cancel its annual tour for a competition such as this proposal. You can read more of this exclusive article in the July issue of ModelsMania.

2012 Bidding Process

London, England will become the first to host the modern games three times. London beat out finalists Moscow, New York City, Madrid, and Paris to be named the host city back in 2005. Sebastian Coe, a former Summer Olympic gold medalist, led the bidding process for London. Original bids included Istanbul, Havanna, Leipzig, and Rio de Janeiro, along with the five finalists. The Olympic Committee eventually narrowed the field down to the cities of London and Paris. London won a close final vote with a vote of 54-50.

Summer Olympic History

The first Summer Olympic Games of the modern era were held in Athens, Greece. The inaugural games, which took place in 1896, featured 245 competitors from fourteen countries. The majority of the athletes were from Greece (around 200), and all those competing were men. It would not be until the following Summer Games in 1900 that women would be allowed to compete.

Women are now a staple of the Summer Olympics Games. There is still more men who compete each year, but the number has begun to level out. In 1900, eleven women competed for the first time. The 1928 Summer Olympics was the first games where women competed in track and field events.

With the Summer Olympics being a world event, there have been many worldwide events that have impacted the games taking place, and the number of countries represented. The 1916 Summer Olympics, which were scheduled to take place in Berlin, Germany, were cancelled due to the World War I conflict. Similarly, the 1940 (Helsinki, Finland) and 1944 (London, England) games were cancelled because of World War II. In 1980, the games took place in Moscow of the Soviet Union. Sixty six nations, including the United States, boycotted the games due to world conflicts. In retaliation, the 1984 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles were boycotted by thirteen nations, including the Soviet Union.

Read more in the June issue of ModelsMania.