(Vintage girdle, vintage bra (re-worked by me), Yokoo Scarf, Vintage beaded belt, sequin hand sewn headband w/ feather, and I forget where the heels and stockings are from)

Hello everyone!

I have been working very hard the past week preparing for this shoot!   It took some time to get the wardrobe finalized and the theme nailed down, but it came together just in time!  I had this great idea for a shoot outside near the Brooklyn Bridge, which I am sooo anxious to do at some point, but Nyc weather hasn't been the greatest and has forced me to work inside my apartment.  This makes my task a bit more difficult, mainly because I have very limited space to work with!  I am looking forward to the warm weather returning this spring, so that I can do a lot of location shooting.  I am heading down to Nashville in a few weeks to collaborate on a shoot with a stylist and fellow vintage seller Carmen of Closet Case Vintage and I will also be photographing some friends down there too.  That will be really fun, and I can't wait!  I haven't even had a chance to focus on those themes at all, because I have 11 days left to get my portfolio in and my interview done at SVA.  Oh my gosh, can you believe how time flies!

I photographed Yodylz, a really sweet and smart model from Russia (she's going to F.I.T) today around noon.  She was my very first model to work with, since deciding to pick up photography.  I've shot models in years past on a weekly basis for Lullie Vintage, but somehow that was different.  Back then, the settings for lighting always stayed the same every week and everything was shot on a white backdrop.  Hardly mind provoking or creative (aside from styling).  So, this was really fun and challenging and I learned a lot today.  For starters, I made a mistake, which is the BEST way to learn!  Mistake number one:  I didn't steam those curtains!  UGHH  my eye goes straight to them now...bummer.  Paying attention to details is going to be a lesson I have a feeling I am going to have to work on very hard.  I get so caught up in the outfit and makeup and feel of the shoot, that noticing things like TOTALLY wrinkled curtains didn't jump out at me...LOL. Oh well, live and learn.

I have a second set of photos, which has a different backdrop and outfit, and I'll try and post those tomorrow.  The shots below were my tester shots.  I tested the shoot out, by photographing myself in the location and outfit and made changes from there.  I hope you guys like these, and be sure to let me know what you think.  I am ALWAYS open to suggestions, comments, likes/dislikes.  I love to learn through your opinions! 

On a funny note...I'm the poster girl for not leaving the house looking like a mess...but, as of late, I was caught on camera looking like a total wreck.  I remember the street fashion guy asking me if he could take my picture and I laughed and said "are you serious? I look insane right now" and he was just like, yah, can I?  I was reluctant, but said, sure.  Here it is to haunt me now, that bad decision... hahaha.  I didn't bother to ask where it would end up, as I had no interest in knowing how awful it looked...well, lucky me, it ended up on the Elle Blog, and The Coveted blog.  I wouldn't have even known, had my husband not called to tell me...and how he stumbled upon that I have NO idea ;P  There were a few kind people out there, but there were some pretty hilarious comments people left that are not quite in my favor, but super funny.
My two favorites being (and worth me copying to paste onto here) :

"Am I the only one that finds this hideous? The shoulder shape is unflattering, the particular shade of tan is beyond dull, and the poor green dress is hiding beneath the furry mess. PASS." 
&
"doesn't she look awful carrying that tacky plastic bag around?
if anything, this photo should encourage people to remember to always carry reusable shopping bags..."

Pretty funny...I guess running errands, like walking your dog and having something in a plastic bag are really faux pas to the fashion police out there! Haha  that's what you get for living in Nyc I guess.
Learn from my mistake gals...;P

Hugs to you all,
xo,

On a different note:  My prayers go out to everyone in Haiti and those with loved ones that are dealing with this incredible loss and devastation. 

Sincerely,
Shae Acopian Detar