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just let them eat cake
Not sure how this idea came to me... I think it was my great friend Mark Stewart who had me propose a fashion story for a local magazine... Well, I shoot fun happy kids and families for portraits and advertising assignments. Idyllic type shots... People hire me to shoot those perfect pictures of life once imagined but not genuinely achieved unless there is a photographer directing them. Everyone wears casual clothes and looks comfy. Babies don't cry and husbands look adoringly at their wives... Sophisticated snap shots.
A fashion story shot in the burbs to appeal to an upscale clientele? Mark let me cast and and put together a NY crew. We had so much fun ( a reminder of my days as a fashion stylist). Staying true to what I know, I cast a model with a 1 year old and threw in a few more kids from the neighborhood. Fashion direction was sophisticated with bold colors (it was a spring story)... Hair and make-up was retro 70's (my favorite era) ...
Although my crew was NY based, it seemed they were each living that dreaded suburban life... Balancing kids, homework, husbands (wives or partners) and homes. We laughed over the good 'ole days when what you wore mattered. How our mom's always dressed and had a drink for dad ready when he walked in from a hard days work. We were all from different parts of the country but our childhoods weren't so scheduled and fraught with parents that needed to make sure every morsel in our mouth was healthy and every hour of the day planned.
When the story came out a few months later and I posted a few pix (before a blog was de-rigueur for every photographer) on my website the response from some of my portrait clients was overwhelming. They wanted a shoot just like the fashion story. Even though their days were spent in jeans and sweats they had their own designer clothes and fabulous shoes... Some wanted a gift for hubby on an anniversary but others just wanted to feel pretty for the day... My direction was simple. Dress up, get your hair done and don't pay attention to your kids... they will survive.
Maybe I am making fun of life in the burbs... a little jealousy that I just won't splurge on $1000 shoes (not that I have that kind of income) but mainly I am in awe of these fabulous mothers and wives who have the confidence to dress up and pose for my camera. The series is evolving and I have tons of ideas for more shoots. Please contact me if you’re interested in creating your own Suburban Bliss
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