As of late, Lauren and I have not been focusing too much on shooting specifically for publications. If there is a theme, we’re not going to bend to it. We realized it’s about creating what we want (whether it’s a new twist from us or plain getting inspired by the greats!) while building our books and developing our style. It was also a matter of learning from experience: thinking a publication gets more circulation than it really does, and being disappointed in the platform and style our work was presented.

That said, if a publication wants to feature our work, we definitely won’t get huffy and puffy about it! I helped Lauren research different magazines. There are a ton of them out there now with digital publishing being so easy! I found MODO Magazine and was ecstatic to see a diamond in the rough. Every online exclusive they publish is absolutely FLAWLESS, so to be included in that is an honor. Thank you MODO!

A big thanks also to our hair stylist, Kanya Gallagher, for bringing us together for this shoot. She was on holiday visiting Florida, and contacted yours truly to shoot. I loved the mood board she put together, and so did Lauren. We all collaborated on shoot details, like the model, location, and whatnot, and with the help of Erin Foster we completed our team with Kendra Chaney coming on as a makeup artist!

I’m sure you all have this question: Where is that beautiful carousel? It was at the Jacksonville Zoo! And believe it or not, most of the photos were taken while the carousel was moving. As important as we think we are, we didn’t have the privilege of closing down the ride to get the best shots. And that’s why I love this shoot even more, you can see Lauren and Niamh are truly talented despite going around in circles for 6 hours.

I know this post is getting lengthy, but I have to share a bit more. We shot this around Christmastime, and the carousel was playing the soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas. “Christmastime is Here” is my favorite Christmas song, and its jazzy tones coming together with the drapey and flowy pastel fabrics flying past me, Niamh effortlessly sinking into each pose, the whimsical smiles on the animals, and the sunlight casting a glow together with all the mirrors and golden poles: it was all so beautiful to me. Ok, going to vomit now. BUT SERIOUSLY!

I hope you all enjoy the editorial on MODO Magazine. To view it, click here.

Shoot Credits:
Photography | Lauren Gherardi
Retouching | Sophia Gholz
Model | Niamh Hart (BMG)
Stylist | Argie Mitra, me!
Featured designer | k.hendrix
Hair | Kanya Gallagher
Makeup | Kendra Chaney