Halloween is the most magical time of the year to be in New Orleans. By late October, the weather is finally feeling brisk, houses are decorated spectacularly with skeletons and cobwebs, and an enchanting mood sets over the city. Everything feels just a little more dreamlike.
For a few years, I spent my Halloweens visiting a group of friends in New Orleans in their magnificent Victorian-style home on St. Charles Avenue. The house was lavender-colored with huge ceilings, dazzling chandeliers, black wrought-iron lined balconies, and a ghost who, on occasion, left kisses on the downstairs hallway mirror. It was in this larger-than-life house that some of my favorite memories were made, dancing barefoot throughout the night in the hazy smoke of the fog machine to some of our favorite psychedelic songs.
These milk bath female figure studies feature three different women with three different body types. The models range from having a very thin frame to being 8 months into pregnancy. These images serve to empower each of the women in them and showcase their individual beauty in a way that makes them feel comfortable and beautiful. These images were not created for the male gaze, but rather for the women themselves.
By showcasing my models’ partially-unclothed bodies, I am working to de-stigmatize the female nude. To that end, the natural elements in the images (such as fruit, leaves, and flowers) were chosen to complement the natural beauty of the female form. I do not believe that there is anything inherently dirty or wrong about nudity; on the contrary, I believe that it is natural, and that it can be used for empowerment.
October has been really active and exciting for me! From October 6th to October 14th I stayed with my best friend Rachel at her home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This was my first experience traveling alone; I'd never even been through an airport before! I was really freaked out on my first flight out of Lafayette (the plane felt tiny to me), but I got myself through it. This trip was a big deal to me as it was gift to myself for working hard throughout college and graduating, so I made sure to make the most of it.
I've recently started working on a few projects with Londri Magazine, a new magazine based in Lafayette, Louisiana that focuses on diversity and female leaders. Their first event was two weeks ago: a zodiac-themed fashion show at the Feed n' Seed. Londri asked me to do creative photography for this event. This is exactly the type of project I really enjoy doing. Several of my friends were in the fashion show, so they made it extra fun for me. I used my film fisheye camera and 35mm film to get shots of the show and some silly selfies during the night.
Here are some of the best photos from the fashion show:
