I met Karly on Santa Monica beach while I was with friends who were working on a film project. I noticed she was posing for photos and had a natural, carefree air about her. While my friends were busy shooting under water B-roll, I decided to introduce myself!
I learned that Karly is attending USC and that this is her first time living in CA. She has many aspirations to pursue while in LA including dancing, singing, and lucky for me, modeling! Karly and I set up a time to meet for coffee on campus and get to know each other a bit. She is genuine and cares about creating safe spaces for fellow creatives. She is an advocate for human rights and expresses her concern through her art.
On our shoot, Karly wore two one of a kind Cielo dresses.
First, Karly wore a neon orange dress made with an athletic wear fabric that has a unique texture. I LOVED this color and fabric but only had a bit of it so I have been holding onto it for a while, waiting for the perfect project. After meeting Karly, I knew that it was meant to be hers! The vibrant color matches her personality and the simple pattern lets the fabric speak for itself.
Since the goal with this piece was to highlight Karly’s *sparkling* personality, I thought it would be fun and fitting to go a step further with the dress and since Karly was down, we did! We took a few shots in the dress while it was just orange and then did a mid-shoot art project and took glitter spray to her outfit. I think this might be a must for all shoots moving forward, adding an element of texture and shine was perfect for the sunny day.
The second dress is my favorite pattern yet, a short hem with a long, wide sleeve. Karly also has a softer side, she is gentle and thoughtful and this is an easy piece for day to day wear.
My favorite part of shooting this piece was when one of her favorite songs came on our portable speaker and she lit up (and gave a little impromptu performance!) I loved seeing her in her element with music and to capture a moment of it!
It was a joy to work with Karly, keep an eye out for her gorgeous smile in future projects!
Xo
Heather