Wonderlust
[I wrote this post before last week’s air quality crisis from the fires in Quebec. To say it felt apocalyptic might be understating things, and I’m grateful we only experienced a few days of it.]
I’ve been enjoying the cool weather in the northeast a bit too much lately and have my first sunburn of the year from merely existing during daylight hours, so it’s not jumping the gun to declare that summer’s here, is it? I’m really looking forward to taking my new paddle board out on the lakes in town, especially now that I’ve learned all NJ state parks have free admission. There will be much sunscreen and sun gear worn so I won’t burst into flames.
Keeping with that seasonal feel, I photographed Michael Kors Wonderlust with a summery-hot vibe, in cool, juicy colors that practically punch you in the face, as the scent itself does. The Michael Kors website describes it as chic and luxurious, which helped with my interpretation. I felt very inspired by the 1980s Miami Vice palette, so much so that you can practically hear the faint sounds of Jan Hammer in the background, can’t you?
And let’s talk about that name: Wonderlust. I think that portmanteau is just brilliant, and gets right to the best part of travel — when you feel inspired and energized by your surroundings and so grateful for the opportunity to experience a new location/culture/activity.
As I’ve mentioned before, I like to let products tell me how they want to be photographed when I’m shooting personal work or absent art direction from a client. And for this set of images, I wanted a reflection and some water to cue a resort getaway, then played with sky-inspired gradients for the overall color. The lotion and travel sized spray are lighter and brighter, evoking a daytime feel when a lighter scent would be appropriate. The image of the perfume is more of a dusk setting, with a starburst created from the setting sun.
After all of that, this Pisces girl is ready for a summer trip to the beach! Are you going anyplace exciting?
In other news, I’ve added more prints to my shop, including a couple of vibrant images of yellow calla lilies and two Klee-inspired food images.
Each print is available in two standard sizes, but if you’d like a custom size or a print on canvas, let me know.
In otherother news, I’ve started a Substack. It’ll take the place of my MailChimp newsletter, which I always found a bit intimidating. Look for a bi-weekly (for now) collection of useful information, musings on photography and miscellaneous things I find interesting.
