have you seen the current issue of her life magazine? the july 2012 trendsetter is swimwear solution. having never photographed swimwear before, i was really excited about the possibilities for this fashion shoot. i wasn’t necessarily excited about our 6:00am call time, but our model, melissa, and the hair and makeup team were all troopers and that beautiful sunrise light was sooooo worth waking up and leaving the house before starbucks even opened. (by the way, shouldn’t that be against the law?)
makeup artist melissa evans gave our model that signature sun-kissed summer glow and hair stylist nicole davis really rocked out her amazing hair.
aren’t these two retro-inspired swimsuits fabulous?
i loved the striped coral cover up and how flirty is this floral tankini?
neon is so hot for summer and these two bikinis are no exception.
my favorite swimsuit, the purple betsey johnson bikini, paired with the brushed gold necklace and earrings made for my favorite shot of the day. if you know me or have ever shot with me you can only imagine the squeal i let out as i clicked the shutter on this close-up. melissa is just so fierce! and seriously…who knew kansas city had such gorgeous beaches???
it was hard not to hate her for looking so good while running.
and another close-up i was dying over! her eyes are incredible and i adore her freckles.
now you all know i love to shop. and with each her life trendsetter i shoot, i usually end up buying something from the boutique. there’s always something i can’t resist. we did this shoot a few days before memorial weekend. i was headed to the lake and didn’t have a decent swimsuit so what did i do? i made one of the worst mistakes a photographer could make after a swimwear shoot.
i tried on swimsuits.
GULP!
i had just spent the entire morning staring at a model who had been glammed up by a professional hair and makeup team. and i thought it was a good idea to try on swimsuits immediately afterward? what was i thinking? luckily, the staff at swimwear solution was super helpful. they really know their stuff. the salesperson who helped me had the patience of a saint and she had a really great sense of style. i went alone, yet it felt like i was shopping with a friend. thankfully, i ended up finding a great suit i really loved. however, i might have enjoyed the experience a little more had i not had images of the ridiculously gorgeous melissa freshly burned into my brain. i might have been a little depressed over the situation had i not stopped to remind myself that while i may not be able to kill it in front of the camera like a model, i do have some skills behind the camera and i shouldn’t be comparing myself to anyone but the woman i was yesterday. there’s my public service announcement for the day. you can thank me later.
wardrobe: swimwear solution at hawthorne plaza, 4845 west 119th street, overland park, ks (913) 345-1243
model: melissa richardson of exposure, inc.
hair: nicole davis of envy salon, 9304 west 87th street, overland park, ks (913) 499-1328
makeup: melissa evans
