Fashion spread in the May 2012 issue of Memphis magazine.
"Come, gentle Spring! Ethereal mildness. Come!" — James Thompson
May fashion reflects the pastel trend in clothing right now — fresh mint, light aqua, pale pink, soft yellows. All of those sweet candy colors are wild right now, invading local retailers, and will most likely make their way into your closet.
We shot the May 2012 fashion editorial for Memphis magazine weeks ago and I worked with a great team of talented people: Larry Kuzniewski behind the lens assisted by Dirk Olsen, Mary McNair and her assistant Alyx Ray created the crimped hair, Kendrick Simpson painted the ethereal face, and Annette Outlan directed our angelic model Meg Saunders — a young star on the rise.
I am always amazed by the clothing and accessories that end up at our shoots, but on that day I was truly in the presence of greatness. Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti had loaned very special couture pieces that were made of the softest chiffons and silks then hand-embroidered with glass beads. These dresses ranged from $3,000 to $5,000 and are truly works of art. The fact I got to play with these dresses still blows my mind and I am so happy to have photographic proof. These dresses walked the runway in Milan and were now being lovingly toyed with in a studio in Downtown Memphis — a career highlight for me.
The hair and makeup were pure magic as well. Kendrick rocked the makeup by creating high drama with a light hand. Meg's skin glowed — and not just because she's a teenager. Kendrick's talent literally shined on Meg's face. Mary and Alyx were crimp masters and created the most divine Botticelli hair. We all worked hard but boogied to the tunes of Madonna, David Bowie, and Led Zeppelin during the shoot.
My job may seem glamorous and I will not deny that days like this one are lots of fun. But it takes work to create the perfect image and the four pages of fashion in the May issue took our team almost nine hours to create.
When I was a little girl, there used to be a great behind-the-scenes special on HBO about the annual Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. The editor of that issue was a women named Jules Campbell and I watched the special in utter silence, fascinated by the production process of fashion photography. It cracks me up that: A) my last name now is Campbell just like the SI editor and B) I work photo shoots for a living. Granted, I am not working in the clear blue waters of the Caribbean, but I love my job just the same. Looking at the published photos is not nearly as much fun for me as the production process itself — I'm a lucky girl to call this work.
Click here to find a newsstand retailer near you to pick up the May edition.
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Meg (seated) getting crimped by hair magicians, Alyx (L) and Mary (R).
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Make up master Kendrick arriving to the shoot.
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Kendrick working her magic and me in the background steaming away.
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Larry getting ready for the shot. Me playing with Meg as she wears a $5000 couture dress by Philosophy.
