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LUCY’S 150<br />
photographer EHREN JOSEPH @ehrenjosephstudio model TARYN VAUGHN<br />
@ DONNA BALDWIN MODELS @theofficialtarynv fashion stylist GEORGIA<br />
ALEXIA BENJOU @gabenjou hair stylist RON LOPEZ for EL SALON<br />
@ronlopez2 makeup artist KATELYN SIMKINS @katelynsimkins Fame<br />
& Partners satin maxi dress, Neiman Marcus. Acanthus oxidized sterling<br />
silver and 24 karat gold Golden Ouroboros Pendant, Baleire Goods<br />
The concept for THE BREAK OF DAWN developed rather organically. Though the team was familiar<br />
with each other's work, it was the first time Georgia, Katelyn, Ron and I had aligned on a shoot. We<br />
began the process by sharing ideas to see what would stick, but were all over the board - from 70's Cher,<br />
to Grecian goddess, to butterflies and insects - and having many ideas is like having none. Somewhere<br />
along the way I began to see a thread that would weave the many concepts together: IRIDESCENCE.<br />
Through melding the idea of a shimmering color palette, based on ancient Egyptian scarab jewelry,<br />
with 1970's disco makeup we were able to bridge the two main ideas. It was my intention to depict the<br />
model confidently in a strong, dignified manner, so we needed to find a way to interlace the goddess<br />
motif. This connected the story to one of the most famous busts in art history, Nefertiti who was known<br />
for worshipping the sun disc, Aten. The team and I spent several weeks compiling images on a Pinterest<br />
board, editing and ordering them until we arrived on a group that would be the foundation for the story.<br />
It was important that these themes conceptually underpin the shoot rather than become literal translations.<br />
A scarab necklace, Egyptian eyeliner, or pair of large sunglasses would have overshadowed the looks,<br />
making the images a caricature. I personally think that photographs stay fresh and modern, holding on<br />
to their authenticity, when they walk the line between inspiration and appropriation.<br />
The last piece of the puzzle was using lighting descriptively. I worked with gelled strobes, tungsten, and<br />
LEDs, sometimes mixing them with long exposures to establish the cyan/gold color tone. Backlighting<br />
the sinuous figure of the beautiful Taryn Vaughn helped to create the nuance of iridescence.<br />
It is sometimes hard to visualize the end product of a shoot particularly with a broad storyline and a fresh<br />
team... but I'm really happy with what we were able to achieve!
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