Outfits of the Year: Pinup fun with Holly West, Deadly Dames, and new friends!

Kali by Holly West
Kali by Holly West. Makeup and Hair by Rockwell DeVil.

Most of you probably know that I’ve lost around 150 pounds over the last several years. I’ve battled with crappy body image for much of my life, and medically influenced massive weight gain in my mid-twenties certainly didn’t help. My goal has never been to get “skinny” or hit some sort of arbitrary weight goal. I’m happy just to feel comfortable with my body again, and the photo shoots in which I’ve participated this year have definitely helped with that. My most recent shoot happened this September at a custom car shop in Sacramento, with the superlative photographer Holly West. Continue reading “Outfits of the Year: Pinup fun with Holly West, Deadly Dames, and new friends!”

More pretty outfits, more pretty pictures: My Viva Las Vegas photo shoot with Angela Morales

Kali by Angela M.
Kali by Angela Morales. Dress by Laura Byrnes Black Label and makeup and hair by Ruby Collins.

In addition to my fabulous photo shoot with Tara O., my Viva Las Vegas itinerary included an amazing shoot at Paris Hotel & Casino with the talented and personable Angela Morales. Angela’s photography is breathtaking, but she’s also a lot of fun to work with and an excellent teacher to boot!

Her direction was top-notch, putting me at ease immediately. “Pretend like you’re mouthing vowels; start with A and move through U – that way you’ll get variety in your expressions!” and “If it feels silly, it’s probably perfect!” were my favorite instructions.

For the shoot, I wore my Deadly Dames Pirate Dress and Laura Byrnes Black Label Grace Dress, two of my all-time favorite outfits. I accessorized them with my vintage rhinestone necklace and clip earrings, my El Dorado Club Filigree Bat Necklace, and my Piou Piou patent leather pumps by Christian Louboutin. The multitalented Ruby Collins did an amazing job with my hair and makeup. Continue reading “More pretty outfits, more pretty pictures: My Viva Las Vegas photo shoot with Angela Morales”

Pretty outfits, pretty pictures: My Viva Las Vegas photoshoot with Tara O.

Kali by Tara O. Photos
Kali by Tara O. Photos, shot at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Hair and makeup by Rosetta Garcia. Dress by Bettie Page Clothing.

While at Viva Las Vegas last month, I did two great photo shoots. The first was with the lovely and talented Tara O., who was a blast to work with! Tara’s full of energy and ideas, and knows exactly how to direct inexperienced models like me. She’s also great at finding amazing settings and angles that most people would never notice, let alone consider.

Las Vegas is known for its dazzling variety, but the color, texture, and mood diversity reflected in the photo sets surprised me. Someone unfamiliar with the Vegas Strip wouldn’t know that these shots – representing both the tropics and an art deco world reminiscent of Metropolis, among other places were all taken within the same several-hundred-foot radius! Continue reading “Pretty outfits, pretty pictures: My Viva Las Vegas photoshoot with Tara O.”