My First Time… (or how to stop knocking yourself down!) | Alabama Contemporary Arts Center Fashion Show| Mobile, AL

Controversial? Me likey controversial. Read on…

I live in a small town called Mobile, AL. How I got here… another post for another sunny day. But being a European thrown by fate in small town America, it did take me quite a while after the big move 5 years ago to find the artsy/kultur/coolness I left in Europe (Nostalgia, get back in your corner!!!)

So when Richard McGill Hamilton, one of the founders of Mobile Fashion Week invited me to be their Photo Coordinator, I thought: “I’m back! I found my kind of peeps to hang with, how sweet!”

All fine and dandy until he said the following:

“Listen, Coastal is doing a preview story on MFW! Can we set a date for you too shoot the “Top 3: Models”? We can use those photos in the preview editorial! What do you think?!? You have total creative control over the shoot!”

Of course my immediate response was no less than utter professionalism and kewlness, followed by blabbing over locations and ideas and this and that…

But this was what my brain processed:

“OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG! What if I’m not good enough? What if my ideas suck? What if they won’t like me? Omg, there will be so many peeps there, stylist, hair, make-up, PROFESSIONAL MODELS?! These people are FASHION PROS, for crying out loud!!! What am I gonna do, I need to figure out some lighting, my gosh, I’m gonna have to buy gear, definitely buying gear for this shoot! I mean… it’s MY FIRST TIME!”

Yes, it was my first time and it was a big deal! My first time working with a team of professionals like Lanie Hearn and Heather Eubanks from Halo Salon for hair, Travis Holp from MAC Cosmetics as MUA, Susi Wuest as a super talented clothing stylist, models Ashley Parsons, Key Harwell and Sequayah Chaney, and Richard, oh, the sweet and hyper Richard as our creative director… see, writing this I’m still remembering the thrill of walking in the room and meeting most of them for the first time! It. Was. Awesome!

People, it was the first time I met ALL these people in person. It was the VERY first time I took on a styled magazine shoot, It was the first time having a team working for the ultimate goal of my images being incredible! We met, we sweat in a hot July Sunday, some of us had emergencies, some got in a car accident, but I’ll be damned if we didn’t OWN IT! Newbies, emergencies, heat, butterflies… be gone, we are rolling with this thing! *ok, chill pill time, let’s look at photos*

So, you see, peeps, next time you think “What if I’m not good enough?!”… mentally hear me whispering this: “But what if you ARE?!”

And since it all had to bear a name, we called it “Old Hollywood: RELOADED”. I know. RAD!!!

PS: Look for Coastal Lifestyle Magazine this Friday, I’ll be in it. Me and “My First Time” 🙂

PPS: No, I didn’t buy gear. I used one strobe for the entire shoot. Thank you Zack Arias!