Life on Mars

 I spent two days modeling at the Mid-Atlantic Regional School of Professional Photography, the MARS school,in Cape May, NJ in the first week of May. MARS is a week long and there are different classes taught by amazing photographers. Photographers come from all over to hone their skills and learn from the best.
My first day was May 4th, a Monday. I was so anxious Sunday night and that anxiousness carried over on my Monday morning drive to the Grand Hotel of Cape May where the MARS school is held each year.

I met Sue Engler, the model coordinator, in the lobby and she told me the schedule for the day. First thing was makeup with Deanna Carfagno(http://www.thumbtack.com/pa/royersford/makeup-artist/make-up-artist) 

 

Deanna was great to work with and shoots are always better when there's a makeup artist. 

Vintage glam was the theme for the first day. I modeled for Lindsay Adler's fashion  photography class, she is an absolutely amazing photographer and you all need to check out her work! (http://www.lindsayadlerphotography.com/)

Lindsay taught the class and then the class was able to use the things they just learned on the models.

There was a break after lunch before the class started up again so Sue snapped this photo of me enjoying the sun. I love the Grand hotel, the area where I was sitting had lovely glass ceilings.

The second half of the day took a colorful turn when Lindsay produced some holi powder

The powder felt cool on my face and it wasn't hard to remove but it does get everywhere. I think I still have some in the speaker on my phone, a colorful reminder of a fun day.

 Getting covered in holi powder was a lot of fun and I had fun on the drive home staring at people stopped next to me at red lights, it's the little things that amuse me.


The second day I modeled at the school I spent the first half of the day modeling for Lindsay Adler's class and the second half of the day modeling as a bride for Ken Sklute's class.

That red dress was so gorgeous and dramatic. I had a couple of different dress "floofers" that morning, they threw the train of the dress so it would float in the wind.  I had to make sure I was firmly grounded before being floofed or the weight of the dress would knock me over, it was powerful.

The second half of the day I modeled as a bride at the Southern Mansion. The Southern Mansion is absolutely gorgeous, the grounds are filled with pretty flowers and inside the mansion blew me away. 

 

This was at the Grand Hotel before everyone went to the Mansion. I got to choose the gown I wore, all of the gowns were beautiful but I wanted a frou-frouy one. The back of the dress had great details

Relaxing on the porch of the Southern Mansion

I did not want to leave this room, it was absolutely gorgeous. I stayed there for quite a long time with three photographers and I would love to stay for a weekend at the Southern Mansion.

I had a blast modeling at MARS and would love to do it next year. I met so many talented and nice people there, especially Sue Engler who was so nice and made sure all the models were taken care of.

More photos can be found on my page www.facebook.com/obf0908

Versano Photography

About two  weeks ago I worked with David and Gabriela, the husband and wife team that make up Versano Photography.
They decided that Valley Forge National Park for the shoot and it was a gorgeous location. I have been reluctant to travel to locations that require driving over bridges as I have some strange fear of them. I realized this is cutting me off from some beautiful and fun places.

It was a chilly spring evening and we met for the shoot just as the sun was beginning to set, it made for some lovely lighting.

The park was huge with lots of rolling hills and there were lots of great locations. I switched shirts half way through the shoot. I've been modeling for awhile and have become quite skilled at changing clothes in public. I always say I'm going to buy a changing tent but never seem to get around to it.

The sky was overcast all day and I was afraid it was going to rain. It didn't and the clouds made the sky look so dramatic. 

 David and Gabriela were easy to work with and I was happy I pushed my bridge anxieties aside to shoot with them. Pennsylvania is a beautiful state and I love exploring Philadelphia (tons of record stores!)

Rachel Adams Photography

Last month I had a photo shoot with Rachel Adams Photography (https://www.facebook.com/racheladamsphoto). It was great to get in front of the camera again after some time off. Rachel's work is dreamy and surreal, each week she shoots a different theme and the week I worked with her the theme was hippies. I've been gravitating towards this look lately.

 The shoot consisted of me and four other models and it was so much fun! Group shoots are great and unfortunately I don't do many of them. We all met at Rachel's house to get ready. When I'm getting ready for a shoot alone it can be stressful, my mind can sometimes betray me and I think of all the things that could possibly go wrong. Getting ready for the shoot with this group of girls was a lot of fun and completely stress free.

From left to right we have Hannah, Brianna, me, Paige and Steph

These are my favorite pants, the only patterned pair of pants I own, they're super flares. 

The shoot was at the perfect time of day, the light was so golden!

Isn't that little orange record player adorable? Also, check out the fringe jacket!

 I love that Rachel used  records for this shoot, being the vinyl junkie that I am. There were some good albums too. Rachel's mom selected "Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy" (good album and my favorite album name), "Disraeli Gears" by Cream and Janis Joplin's greatest hits. 

One of the girls tuned into the Beatles station on Pandora and we got to model in the field listening to "Here Comes the Sun", it was great. 

Rachel runs a blog In a World of My Own (http://harleywonderland.blogspot.com/) where she shares photos and writes about her shoots.  To see all of the photos from this shoot head on over to Rachel's blog and my facebook page (facebook.com/obf0908)