We Are Full of Pride! – Photoshoot with the “A Team”

WATCH OUR BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEO! IT TOTALLY ROCKS!

Last Sunday I had a blast shooting with the digitally creative, A TEAM; Aaron Nace & Avery Carlton, along with  Rebekah Potthast (model), Candace Kualii (wardrobe stylist) and Amelia Fletcher (intern, assistant). We brought Aaron and Avery’s vision of a woman who was raised by a pack of lions, learning to feed, to life.

“I could not have asked for a better crew… Thank you all for helping me make this image a fabulous success.”
– Avery Carlton

“Seeing the team effort that went into this photograph was awesome. Everyone worked so well together to pull off this stunning photograph and I am so glad I got to be a part of the experience!”
– Amelia Fletcher

“With the anticipation of the model putting on one of my first costume creations used in a photo shoot, it was a relief to see once the creative makeup and hair was completed. It all turned out to be more than what I envisioned, and I have to give thanks to the creative team.
– Candace Kualii

“I felt so alive while working on this production, with a phenomenal crew. I was truly living my passion in each of these moments!”
– Tara DiPetrillo

THE A TEAM’s FINAL PHOTOSHOP IMAGE

“Photoshop is hard enough – do what you can in camera to make things easier on yourself.”
– Aaron Nace

If you would like to know how to create such an image in photoshop, check out Aaron’s online class.

(all photos above courtesy of the A Team: Aaron Nace & Avery Carlton)


HOW I CREATED THE MAKEUP

I had a meeting with Aaron and Avery before the shoot, to go over some ideas in person. Honestly, I thought our meeting would last about an hour. We instantly bonded and talked for almost 4 hours! If I wasn’t going to hot yoga class, I could have sat in Amelie’s French Bakery with them for another 4 hours!

photo: A Team

We came up with a color scheme of gold and purple. At first, I was trying to figure out how to make it work, and then my mind fed me this information – I liked the gold, because to me it represented the firey illumination of the sun. The Sun also happens to be the ruler of Leo, the Lion, in astrology. I incorporated the symbol for the Sun (the circle with a dot in the middle) in Rebekah’s facial war paint, tattoo’d arm band and also on her garment. The color purple, to me, became a sign of the 6th & 7th chakras (the third eye and the crown – colors: indigo & violet). I was able to manipulate both the symbol for the sun and the third eye together on Rebekah’s forehead, the perfect spot, indeed! They rays coming out of the eye look like lashes, the sun’s rays and the opening of the crown chakra; connecting this wonderful being’s intuition with higher realms of consciousness and unity. There are so many fun ways to play with this image, and it continues to tell me many tales.

I had a drawing at home of how I wanted the makeup to look. I left it home that day. I’m happy I did. I like to work in free form. When I create, things magically appear before me. It was good for me to have a general idea. Yet, I stepped back and let my imagination guide the way. My inner passion came out to roar with the pack!

Once out on the field, I dug up some fresh mud (mixed it down with some water) and painted it on Rebekah’s body and clothing, along with some stage blood. Only minutes before Aaron began to shoot (which was only about a 20 minute window of time, due to the lighting of the sunset), I fed her some of the blood and dripped it out of her mouth and quickly freshened up some of the drying mud. Time is everything! Snap! Snap!


Here are some photos of Rebekah’s makeup transformation…..

When I met the rest of the crew that day, we all just clicked. Candace created a perfect outfit, filled with ethnic accessories for Rebekah to wear. Rebekah really came into character as we watched her transform. And Amelia (who adds another “A” to the A Team..lol.), did a great job of assisting us throughout the day.

And who can deny the sheer talent of the A Team! I look forward to working with this crew again. We have some real goodies in store for you! Stay tuned……

PRODUCTS I USED TO ACHIEVE THIS LOOK

I mainly used a lot of MAC products, for the liner and a touch of red lipstick in the crease of the mouth. For the gold body paint I used Mehron’s Metallic Powder (combined with a Mixing Liquid), it gives off a stunning shine in the sunlight. For the rest of the colors, I used MAC’s Chromacakes and for added shine and contouring I used MAC Pigments. To seal everything on and prevent transfer or smudging of the makeup, I sprayed on Mehron’s (non-aerosol) Barrier Spray – Fixer and Sealer. Usually, I think bottled stage blood can look a bit bright, however, since this was a “fresh kill”,  and a fairly distant shot, I was fine with the blood looking bright, so it would show up on camera. Instead of making my own blood (out of corn syrup and food coloring), I used Mehron’s stage blood (pretty much the same thing, however I would make mine darker in another situation.).

If you have any questions, feel free to post them!

I hope you enjoy viewing everything as much as we all enjoyed creating it! :)

Love, Light, Laughter & Lions,

Tara

4 thoughts on “We Are Full of Pride! – Photoshoot with the “A Team”

  1. tara says:

    Thank you Sherry!

    Candace you are so sweet! Thank you. I love the outfit you created for this project! You must make more!!! :)

    You’re welcome Aaron! Thanks for welcoming me in on such an epic project! So ready for more! Bring it! :)

    2011 rocks! I’m just sayin’!!!! ;)
    I’m so thankful.

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