Nostalgia is a hard thing to describe in a few words. Sometimes you can feel a sense of nostalgia for a time that you have never even lived through. I feel nostalgic in many ways: I can feel it through photographs, films, and books, and I can feel especially nostalgic listening to music. Something about music really makes me feel a sense of time travel. Something about nostalgia really fascinates me, and I think that is why I love to do shoots based on those indescribable feelings.
When I do a shoot I always like to storyboard first what mood or time period that inspired me to create in the first place. I will even make a playlist to help me create the story or feel behind the shoot. This particular shoot was inspired by my love of eighties fashion, movies, and music. When I was 14 years old, I loved everything about the eighties, and I listened to so many girl bands and hair metal bands regularly. My mom called me an old soul, and she was right—and still is.
This shoot was a fun project that let me bring my imagination of the ‘80s to life. I got to play with bold and bright colors, dress Honey up in beautiful eighties jumpsuits, and incorporate our colorful New Orleans surroundings in the photos. I hope to bring a sense of the past in all of my work. Because I cannot physically time-travel, my photography is the perfect outlet that allows me to express my love of the past while also including a modern edge.
Here are the songs I listened to while designing this shoot:
1. Cruel Summer - Bananarama
2. Owner of a Lonely Heart - Yes
3. Self Control - Laura Branigan
4. The Reflex - Duran Duran
5. Shake it Up - The Cars
6. Genius of Love - Tom Tom Club
7. Stand Back - Stevie Nicks
8. Modern Love - David Bowie
9. Electric Avenue - Eddy Grant
10. I Know There's Something Going On - Frida
11. This Must Be the Place - Talking Heads
12. I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Model: Honey
MUA: Artistry by Camille
Wardrobe: Funky Monkey Nola, On the Prowl Vintage
Production Assistants: Shelby Knafel, Baylee Badawy
Ting Ting Chen
Kyla Rain
Christiana Birch
Charlotte Entwistle