Horses-turned-models, Norm and Pegasa
Our latest fashion editorial, Beauty and the Beach, from the Spring/Summer 2012 issue has made its way to newsstands and is now making its home on the web. Picture after picture of cool, grey-blue skies and dress after fantastic dress (not to mention a couple of horses) fill the pretty pages, but we wanted to give you a closer look behind the scenes.
Back in late October, a team of photographers, stylists, editors, and one gorgeous model ferried over to Linda Walsh’s beautiful Nantucketesque Home by the Sea off Useless Bay on Whidbey Island. But let me tell you, this was no ferry ride for fair-weather folk. The early morning dark sky poured rain all the way and upon arrival, we tried to figure out how we would feign a bride at her Spring/Summer beach wedding as we tromped along the beach in waders. But fate (literally) shone upon us; just as we were about to start shooting, the rain subsided, the clouds broke, and we even saw a glimmer of sun.
Useless Bay, Whidbey Island
We weren’t quite out of the water yet…
After Art Director, Alicia Nammacher, staged the first shot on a sandspit, we were carefully watched the water rising as it was rushing back in for the high morning tide. Everyone on the lookout, we were counting down the minutes as we watched our sandy trail disappear. At what we figured was the five minute mark, our sandy bridge back to the mainland lifted and washed away with the tide, leaving the whole team stranded on the sandspit with water rising. Photographer Ryan McVay trudged through the seawead in his waders and stylist, Emilie Maslow, offered her Hunter boots to the model. With $10,000 worth of fabric held up over her head, model Meghan Wiggins and the precious dress made it back to shore safe and sound (the horses trotted through just fine, of course).
The crew heads out to the sandspit
Hair and makeup artist, Heidi Nymark, and styling assistant, Hilary Folks walk model Meghan Wiggins through the sand during lowtide
Art Director, Alicia Nammacher, and stylist Emilie Maslow prep the dress to photoshoot perfection
Hilary safely guides the model and dress through the tidepools back to dryland (and warmth)
Practical horse whisperers, Carol Lynn McArdle and her horse-training team at Tir Na Nog Dressage, fed, distracted, focused, and coaxed horses Norm and Pagasa into virtual models themselves. Our model, Meghan, was a trooper, keeping the horses in their poses and turning their heads on cue.
Carol Lynn McArdle of Tir Na Nog dressage with her trusty steed
Speaking of Behind the Scenes...
We thought she’d outdone herself with a breakfast spread in her kitchen nook looking out over the Sound, but after a productive morning for all, our most-gracious host, Linda, provided all of us with delicious snacks before serving up warm chili and homemade cornbread in front of her cozy fireplace. Despite finding ourselves in a food coma, we headed back outside to finish the shoot as weather cooperated just long enough for us to get in our shots.
Our warm, delicious lunch served in the most beautiful kitchen nook you've ever seen (taken with Instagram)
She sent us off with hugs, hot cider, and fresh-outta-the-oven brownies, as we headed back to Seattle after what looked at 8am like a disaster-in-the-making that turned into one of our best editorials yet.
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