Dear Mosquitoes,

I Hate You

A behind the scenes look at a high fashion photo shoot.

We brought mosquito repellant, but I think it was laced with honey, or cow’s blood, because it sure didn’t seem to work very well. As I write this I am experiencing the thrilling sensation of 20-30 red bumps that, like spoiled kids at the grocery store, are each demanding my full attention. I will ignore them and proceed.

We wanted to shoot four separate models wearing custom wardrobe designed by Keith Bryce. The idea was to start hair and makeup at 4PM and start shooting at 7PM and fit all four girls in before sunset at 9PM. I knew from the beginning that this was overly optimistic.

(hold on, I have to itch my knee, oh yes, so wrong but it feels so right! Uh oh, now my calf wants attention, and my ankle… maybe this is why you’re not supposed to scratch them…)

Ok, I’m back. So at 7:30 (a half hour behind schedule) I was barking orders like a mad scientist knowing full well now that the sun would set well before we finished shooting, my brain started racing with backup options. At 7:45 we took two girls out and started shooting, the rest arrived about 45 minutes later… the shoot that was supposed to be done by 9 lasted until about 11:30 which sounds about right, but the results were well worth the trouble.

Some tricky issues we had to resolve during the shoot? Lighting inside a small shed without room for ideal light placement, keeping the guy standing by the model ready to catch her if she falls off her pedestals out of the frame, balancing the pedestals on uneven ground, and for the first time in my photography career I had to edit out a mosquito that was perched on a models chest apparently going to town like it just bought her dinner. Stupid mosquitoes.

Fashion Illusions | Styling and Wardrobe by Keith Bryce | Hair by Chad Seale (assisted by Josh Parkin and Tita Tillak) | Makeup by Janelle Bentley | Photographer Assistant Ryan Muirhead