Today’s inspiration comes from a very talented young lady that I have personally had the privilege to not only meet but also shoot with her.  I first came across Nikki’s talent when she submitted a session about a year ago.  (To see her first featured session click here.) I was blow away by her talent but when I found out she was only a freshman in college, I was even more blow away!  I was so impressed that at such a young age she knew exactly what she wanted to do and was going after her dream.

Fast Forward nine months, and I was shooting a wedding in Charleston.  Something happened that caused me to need a last minute replacement for my second shooter.  I called the wedding planners the Friday night before the big day and they hooked me up with a college student name Nikki.  I didn’t realize it was the same Nikki until I picked her up from her dorm room the day of the wedding.  It was so cool to have someone so talented that I had only known through my blog now be with me, second shooting for me at a wedding!  Nikki and I talked that night about her plans, what she wanted to do with her photography and much more.  She shared with me the fact that she was thinking of transferring to SCAD (Savannah College of Art & Design) and beginning this fall she is doing just that!  I know SCAD will be thrilled to have someone so talented in their program.

Nikki is a great photographer but what she is even better at is turning that photography into art!  She literally transforms models and creates shoots that I think belong in the pages of a magazine!  They are very editorial and high fashion!  I asked her to share her thoughts on this Vintage Swimsuit Photo Shoot and she was happy to!  Read what Nikki had to say about this shoot and be sure to check out her amazing images from this shoot!  You can also check out more of Nikki’s amazing work on her website here and her blog here.

Thank you so much for sharing this with us Nikki!!  I hope we get to shoot a wedding again together and I can’t wait to hear all about your new adventures at SCAD!!

My mind starts fluttering as my fingers walk across the pages of Vogue and Harpers Bazaar. I soak in the extravagant fashion dripping with studded accessories and perfectly primped hair and makeup. I take in the Avant Garde styling and start to plan how I can take the upcoming trends and make them wearable for everyday young girls. For summer 2012 retro 50’s 60’s style pin up bathing suits are the bees knees. I love how in this time period women could feel beautiful, confident and even sexy while being modest. The silhouettes are flattering on every figure and nothing beats a bright high waisted bikini bottom with a cute bandeau top. So with this new trend in mind I wanted to take this concept and put it out of context besides the normal pool setting. Girls in the city need an escape from the pounding heat and the bustling streets of the city. A parking garage can be transformed into an oasis with a few chairs and some soda pop. Who needs the view of the water when you have the whole city beneath your feet.