“This is That Lady Beauty, in whose praise
Thy voice and hand shake still, - long known to thee
By flying and fluttering hem, - the beat
Following her daily of thy heart and feet,
How passionately and irretrievably,
In what fond flight, how many ways and days”
“You are always new, the last of your kisses were ever the sweetest.”
I was pulling images for a friend, and came across these, my very first shoot that I had put together with fellow artists. I was pregnant with baby number two, and there was a fire storm, literally raging all around us in the mountains and foothills. This was before flower crowns were really a thing and hand crafted the one Mari is wearing. I've since used it for a costume almost every year since. My husband make the cakes, and we rented a U Haul. I don't think we really knew what we were doing or what we were getting into, but I love the pictures still so much, years later. Trying something new, reaching out to locations, and not knowing if the whole shoot would fail, and riding the anticipation and excitement and pushing through all of that is both exhausting and exhilarating. But more than a pretty picture of pretty people in pretty places, I loved the camaraderie of a female team of artists. There was no competition or ego, instead a beautiful group of women inspiring each other to be our best. It was my first time working with many of them, but now I can call them friends, and that is my favorite memory of this day. Hot and sweaty, and grateful. A huge thanks to,
Sarah Winward: Florals
April Benincosa: HMU
Jayne Lever/October Ink: Paper
Mari and Blake Tengberg: Bride and Groom
Melissa Blackburn: Gown