When Stars Align

Dear 2020, you’ve been a cluster Funk, a regular red-headed stepchild of a year (sorry if anyone reading is a redheaded stepchild, I wish you the best for your life). Plans were made, unmade, made again, only to get unmade because there’s nothing like a global pandemic to throw life into a spin cycle.

Deb Mascia needed new photos of her current collection for Mu’umu’u Heaven and Emilia Perry volunteered to help her put a shoot together. I jumped in as a photographer, Emilia contacted models, and we set a day for the shoot. Then, Covid shutdown. Beaches were closed and law enforcement was patrolling on quads which resulted in the need to reevaluate our location. Then one of the models started feeling like the backside of a donkey before the shoot. Not willing to risk anyone’s health for photos, we picked a new date and location which unfortunately fell through; but,  Emilia’s friend Raven Miranda came in with a save. The stars were trying to get their act together, I could feel it.

Queue the day of the shoot when all the loose ends from before found friends. We tied them in a bow and met-up at a house to shoot…yes! My first shoot for Deb’s dresses was an underwater one with Emilia. I hadn’t shot different dresses and I was honestly excited to see what we could put together in a few hours. The shoot began with masks that Deb had created and sunglasses that Emilia designed. In the background Emilia and Deb were selecting dresses, sunglasses, and accessories for each model. Raven was working with Deb to set-up shooting scenes in the yard. This was a full team effort.

After finishing the masks/sunglasses, it was on to dresses. The three models, Summer and Bella Kester and Cassidy Lanter (well technically four because Raven joined for an outfit) did a fantastic job flowing through each look. We migrated to different areas of the yard to put together a shoot that had continuity without looking like the same exact scene despite the relatively small workspace.

By the end, I felt like I had blinked, and it was poof(!) done in the best way possible. Which seems to be what happened to 2020. Blink, poof,  here we are in November. This year may not be happening in the best way depending on your perspective; but, despite getting made, unmade, made again, only to get unmade, stars are still aligning.

Reach for the Funk!

Dear Reader, that catchy closing line is under construction as reaching for this Funk won’t lead to achieving your dreams or it may endure the test of time, stay tuned, dun dun dun

Bella Kester

Summer Kester

Cassidy Lanter

Cassidy Lanter

Summer Kester

Cassidy Lanter

Bella Kester

Bella Kester & Cassidy Lanter

Summer Kester

Bella Kester

Cassidy Lanter & Bella Kester

Cassidy Lanter

Summer Kester

Bella Kester

Bella Kester

Summer Kester

Raven Miranda

Bella Kester

Cassidy Lanter

Bella Kester