It's not always easy to constantly have to explode with creativity and ideas, not to mention everything else that comes with what I do, such as marketing, meetings, photo shoots and then some. And particularly in photography, such as it goes in life, the magic won't always happen. On some days, you will not be able to achieve what you envisioned. It can't always be the greatest work of your life. And that's a tough pill to swallow for someone like me, who has become a bigger perfectionist than I already was – if that was even possible!
For the longest time, I had the idea to photograph my perspective of Greek & Roman goddesses. I've been fascinated with mythology since I was a child and wanted to put a modern twist on these women. At first, I kept scouting for friends, models, even strangers... anyone that would fit the bill, so to speak. But for whatever reason, nothing seemed to click. I couldn't get into the groove of things. And then one day, while in the shower of all places (because that's where I seem to put my thinking cap on – literally) a lightbulb went off. Why am I not doing this myself? Because I have had many photographers advise me on focusing on self-portraits, I figured why the heck not, right? And so I bring you one of the most familiar goddesses: Aphrodite or Venus.
Whenever I think of Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, I am immediately drawn to Botticelli's painting, 'The Birth of Venus'. She is depicted being born straight from a seashell. I definitely wanted to somehow embody this cute symbolism into the photo shoot. I styled my hair (even braided my own hair for a change!) with a gorgeous headband from LELET NY. They are a modern luxury hair accessory brand that really juxtaposes the feminine and fierce, what is modern with what is nostalgic and creates accessories to match the dichotomy of today's woman. I knew they would be perfect for a photo shoot like this! I also fell hard in love with one of their body chains, simple yet ultra chic and even decadent.
As for the other accessory, I found the most adorable floaty brand online while searching for seashells! Get FLOATY carries it all, whatever you want (in terms of floaties) and super quick on delivery! I also really appreciated how convenient it was to inflate it, I did it with my hair dryer in less than three minutes! When it came to what Aphrodite would wear, I initially was going for a bikini, but it just wasn't working in a studio setting. So going back to the Botticelli painting, Aphrodite is nude, and because this is kind of a birth to a new project I will be embarking on with depicting different Greek & Roman goddesses in the next coming months, I found it (eventually) to be rather fitting to shoot with nothing but the accessories on. Lastly, makeup was also done by me and I kept it screeching hot pink. Why? I guess to add a bit of punch and play to color, but also to try something different since I don't normally wear pink eyeliner on any given day, and you know what? I kind of like it! What do you guys think of this new series and this photo shoot? Leave your comments down below! I always (may not always agree) love to hear from you guys :)
LOVE & XX'S,
