To Heaven and Back: A Photo Journey
1:04:00 PM
I have started doing a series of photos and photo shoots based around some wearable wings I had made. This all started back with the 2012 RAWards Hartford Connecticut, which I was nominated for Accessory Designer of the Year. My gorgeous model Krista Combies was the first to wear these black angel wings and become my Black Angel.
I will be adding more images for PART 2 this week! Stay tuned for the Earth Bound Angel shots!!! Feel free to click the image link below to visit my Etsy shop. <3
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Well flash forward to June of 2013. My little sister Rosamarie loves posing for pictures for me. I have used her in the past to model some of my scarfs. This time around we were taking some fun shots and I was putting jewelry on her when she looks up and sees the black wings "Can I wear THOSE!" she says and starts saying please pleeeeease! I say ok, we can do some goth pictures. She squeels with delight at the thought of going Goth. I didn't go to dark and despairing with her, she's only 14. But Rosie is the second to wear the wings. "You need to make more of these!" she says. "I want a pair in blue!"
From Rosie's one sentence of a pair in blue, a bell goes off in my head. DUH! I should make these in a bunch of colors, sizes and styles. Halloween is my favorite holiday ever. What would be cooler then to sell these for Halloweeny! Ideas came FLOODING! This would give me a chance to do MORE photo shoots of my own! I am by no means a photographer, but I love love love taking pictures and asking people I know to let me style them for modeling shots!
Once I started showing people pictures of Rose, people started asking more about my wings. My next thought, to do an angel wing shoot. My idea formed into a concept. A happy go lucky angel is in Haven and goes to visit Earth. Suddenly she becomes stuck on Earth and can't find her way back home. I started thinking about blonde's I know. One person came to mind who I thought could pull off the innocence as well as the more emotional lost look of being Earth bound. I reached out to my 15 year old cousin Jennifer. I am not hugely close to that side of my family, but I have been getting to know Jennifer and see a lot of creative passion in her. This was a great way for me to get closer to her as well as my aunt and uncle. And a great excuse to spend the day doing something she would enjoy. I asked her and she said yes, very excited about having the opportunity to do something like this. I was so happy to do something nice for her!
I then got the name of a budding make up artist, Ms. Mecca Dunlap.She has worked some of my favorite Connecticut based photographers like Ginger Grant and Mike Chaiken as well as designer Asa Gleek. She was amazing. She jumped in fearlessly.Working with her was so effortless, I am planning on making her a regular on my upcoming projects.
The finished product came out better then I thought it could! Jennifer was beyond prepared and posed like a pro! The time I spent learning different editting apps and programs paid off as well! Here is the Heaven Sent Jen shots an EXCLUSIVE just for my blog!
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JillianLyonsDesigns.etsy.com |
4 comments
I love these wings!! I wish I could wear wings and a tutu everyday and not have anyone question my sanity! lol
ReplyDeleteI love the black ones - but the combination of the white ones and that light definitely make your cousin look like an angel!
ReplyDelete@Sweet Jenny - hahaha! ME TOO! @Jess Thank you so much! :)
ReplyDeleteLove your wings! The number of times I have worn wings for no reason is quite silly!
ReplyDeletexx Kait