SONG: "Think Long" by Mates of State off the album Bring it Back
We had a 6 AM call time for our third shoot day, and it was well worth it. Unfortunately, I rode on the back of the yellow buggy (even though its early in the morning I still like to party) and rather than heading for the beach, we went west into the golden sand dunes. It was a short ride to our location which was this amazing hacienda in the middle of nowhere. it was partially under construction and had a great run-down look to it. We were now shooting a different, much more editorial story about a woman who had lost her husband and had to run her farm-like mansion alone. It was a very sad shoot and it really changed the vibe from our crazy rockstar high fashion adventure, to a more creative, serious vibe. I feel that the locations and content of this shoot really made me sad, but in a good way (if thats possible). I chose one of my favorite newer Mates of States song for this because it has a lot of history for me. I listened to it constantly during a very dark/sad time in my life a few years ago, but this song elicits the same happy/sad feeling in me that this half of the shoot caused. Basically its a very important song to me.
We set up inside, which was a nice change of pace from being stuck out in the sun for the last two days, and enjoyed our beautiful surroundings. We had amazing local catering that was the authentic rice beans and chicken I had been craving since the terrible experience I had with the Chilean diet of hot dogs, avocado and mayonnaise last September. We shot inside and outside, both tethered and to card, moving around constantly. I really wish I could post the pictures of this story because they turned out absolutely amazing. However I am trying my best to keep this blog relatively anonymous, so that won't happen. Although maybe when its out in print I'll put a few selects up. We had a bit of down time on this day so I had a chance to take the camera out to shoot a few picks and retouch a nice scenic comp I did. The people were all very nice at the location, and I have to say it was one of the coolest locations I've ever been to for a shoot.
The next day was our last day of shooting and we only had 5 shots left. Our first location was WAY out in the desert and we rode through the sand dunes for about half an hour before the party buggy got stuck in a soft sand patch and 5 of us had to push it out. We continued for another 10 minutes before halting on the top of an enormous dune with a miniature forest on the dune above it. Going mobile, we hiked up through the forest to a quaint graveyard with an enormous wrought iron cross overlooking the grounds. At the base of the cross were arms and legs that had been carved out of wood. According to the rough english of one of the PAs, when a relative is having a physical problem with their body, you recreate it out of wood and place it under the cross in the grave yard in hopes it will be cured.
As we sat in the grave yard waiting for hair and makeup to finish, conversation naturally turned to death, and the sadness vibe of this half of the trip was really cemented. We did a quick mourning shot there and then moved to one of my favorite shots on the trip. We shot our model in a red dress, screaming and throwing sand Basically acting like a crazy person, and she REALLY got into the role. Half of us rolling around in the sand laughing as she's screaming "I'm back BITCHES!," "FUCK YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" and the like in her heavy Belgian accent. The shot, needless to say, turned out amazing.
We packed up and headed down to the mayor's house, which happened to be next to an amazing yellow church with huge blue French doors. We ended up doing the last shot of the job in front of it. Everyone was thrilled on how the images had turned out, and we all sat down for an amazing outdoor lunch under the trees in front of the mayor's house. The photographer fell asleep in a hammock, as Rose and I packed up all the gear and got ready for the ride back to the hotel (and yes, I got to ride in the party buggy).
When we returned to the hotel, it was around 2, but we had to leave for the airport at 9 that night (early return because I had to do all the prep for the trip to Monte Carlo). I quickly emailed at few images, printed the selects and headed down to the beach to get my ass kicked by the now 7+ foot waves. As I walked back up to the hotel alone, I had one of those "How did I get here?" moments, which I absolutely love. Those moments are really the only reason I do what I do. Seeing the world is pretty much my priority in life right now, and thus far I've been really lucky and am very grateful for all the opportunities I've had. When I got back to the hotel it was time to pack up, and after a quick shower, I got everything ready to go. On the way to the airport I was already thinking ahead to the two day stop over in New York, and the following trip to Monte Carlo. Good thing the holidays are coming up.....I'm starting to get tired.
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