After that first photoshoot experience, I was on cloud-9! I had the BEST experience working collaboratively with so many lovely + genius creatives. It was a melting pot of ideas, excitement, exploration, + curation … and that is something that keeps you wanting more. The energy was magnetic and the whole team worked so well together! So when this group was talking about “what’s next?!” … I was the first to say, “I don’t care what the idea is, I want in!” Shortly after, photoshoot #2 came along… and this time, I was asked to be the Lead Set Designer + sole Set Builder. At first, the idea of switching gears and taking more of the full planning phase on, especially alone, was intimidating. However, as with every challenge thrown my way, I dove right into problem solver mode + tried to wrap my head around what this would mean. I immediately went into creative exploration, and this new challenge ended up exciting me more than anything. Before I knew it I was in my kitchen, elbows deep in fabric and dye, trying new material coloring and manipulations for the first time in my life. This project and entire experience was a true testament to unlocking hidden potential + pushing the boundaries of what I thought my skillset entailed. An experience I am forever grateful for!

This second photoshoot was titled “Summer Solstice”. The idea was simple yet complex. The goal was to capture the lightness of a summer day with the elegance of high fashion + portray a level of ease + effortlessness. The idea of “lightness” translated in my mind through the use of fabric. Leveraging this material to help soften the natural settings we’d be positioned in, while providing an element that could be manipulated with light + wind, helping to reinforce that elegant summer narrative + soft, gentle, almost weightless feel! My role in this project, as Set Designer, took me on a conceptual journey ultimately leading to 2 different ways in leveraging fabric as my key set building material. First, the idea of fabric manipulation: twists, turns, knotting, + scrunching, to lean into texturalizing something flat adding interest and excitement. This would also lean into how light distortion would impact those alterations to the material and effect shadows, to create movement + interest to the set. The second concept, focused more on range of color within a sheer textile. Leveraging mesh and more opaque, thin, + see-through materials would allow for the materials to play in the wind and have more of an airy effect. Then taking this a step further to capture different color tints. Pastels are inherently gentle, calm, soothing, + light, which is exactly what we wanted to portray! I collected, found, + purchased all the materials, then proceeded to hand dye all the pieces that needed tinting. This process was a try till you get it right adventure and it was exhilarating to test new methods to achieve the final looks. Unlocking additional creative problem solving and ways to accomplish the end-goal. Day-of the photoshoot, I installed each of the builds (with some muscle help from the guys on set!) + manipulated the fabric to get the right look we were going for. The set creation in real-time with no test rounds prior, was tricky but also so rewarding to again test my capabilities! Below are some images of the behind the scenes, working on-set, as well as the stunning final shots from this project!