Behind the Scenes of Fashion Styling

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Everyone has their first day of work. I remember mine. It was for the Rock 'n Roll bride concept. I had been the subject of photos, but never had been on the other side of the camera - picking out clothes and putting things together...It definitely was intimidating not knowing what to expect, but it was the BIGGEST rush of adrenaline. Watch out! You can get hooked on that stuff because that's exactly what happened to me.

All of a stylist's work is done ahead of time, so when the day of the photo shoot arrives, all you really need to worry about is whether things are wrinkled or missing. It's pretty much a big party for me most of the time.

A rustle of the dress here, a tug of the shirt there and sometimes a dab of blush or a flip of the hair, but most of the time you're sitting on the sidelines making everyone laugh and using your critical eye to help the photographer see things that they can't.

There's nothing I like better than being in the moment of a photo shoot and seeing my hard work come alive right in front of me. Well...I also like getting emails with the zip files packaged up nice and tidy and unwrapping the gorgeous goodness of fashion...So, I would say they are equally awesome. =)

Here are some behind the scene pics of me at work. Oh, and a little tip to those that are pursuing fashion styling, don't dress to the nines when it comes to what you're going to wear the day of the shoot. Just wear what is comfortable and what you can MOVE in.

I'm always open to answering questions about things I've learned along the way, so feel free to ask!

 

Epiphanie Mixed Bag

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It was exactly one year ago that I helped style Promise Tangeman for a photo shoot with Epiphanie Bags. It was SOOO much fun, and I'm happy to share that starting this week I will be regularly sharing some fashion insight each Monday on Epiphanie's blog. "Mixed Bag" Mondays will be a post sharing how to wear your awesome Epiphanie camera bag in a fashionable way. If you're not familiar with Epiphanie, they are a company that makes stylish camera bags for the female photographer. So long boring black, clunky bags!

Make sure to stop by and say hi!

Lindsey & Josh Anniversary Shoot

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I'd like to introduce you to Lindsey and Josh, a wonderful, intelligent and beautiful couple that recently celebrated their first wedding anniversary!

To help capture the milestone they hired Gina Meola Photography, as well as AVE Styles to help make them look their best.

Lindsey has a very eclectic, earthy style and Josh enjoys clean and simple. So, to please them both, I created two different ensembles for each of them that portrayed both of their tastes.

The photo shoot took place at the Montelucia Restort where they enjoyed a weekend "staycation." Both sets of outfits suited the hotel - one embodied the southwestern color palette of the surrounding mountains and the other the elegance of the architecture.

Congratulations Lindsey and Josh! Cheers to many more years of love!

Photography by Gina Meola.

LocalLily.com Contributor

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I have wonderful news to share with you...I am now a monthly contributor on LocalLily.com. YAY! If you haven't visited Local Lily before, then I'm happy to be the first person to tell you about it. It's a website devoted to all things local in the State of Arizona. From fashion to food to entertainment for your kids, this is a great website to find out how you can support local businesses AND enjoy great experiences in Arizona. Local Lily only writes reviews on places they have visited and LOVED. I suppose you can say they follow the rule of sharing only when you have something nice to say. I love that!

So, once a month you will see a post from me sharing how to create fun outfits. I'm hoping to also explore some fabulous clothing boutiques and share about my experiences too!

Go stop by and say hi. Also, download your free copy of Your Guide to an Arizona Summer That Doesn't Suck.

Happy Monday!