Inspiration | Mid Century Moon: Mod, Editorial, & Subtly Celestial

It’s currently the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s moon-landing, so it seems only appropriate to release my Mid Century Moon editorial. Yes, I totally planned this. Totally. Definitely not a coincidence at all…

Originally this project was a conceptual collaboration between me and another photographer, entitled 1960s Starfall. We had hoped to create an editorial that was moody, celestial, and dramatic; images which captured the style and volatile nature of the 1960s. We also hoped to in-cooperate a more literal celestial theme, but I was a bit apprehensive. Celestial weddings were top trending on the coasts in 2018, so naturally here in the Midwest everyone and their dog is hosting one. I love stars and moons as much as the next girl, but I’m about pushing ideas and getting ahead of trends so I opted for a more subdued celestial touch.

Like any editorial project we started with a lot of ideas and hopes and dreams and chipped away at things from there. We had started planning in March but as my Spring busy season took over, my interest in this shoot fell away. I’d signed on for two editorials that were entirely my own in a different city. I’d already done two collaborative shoots at the beginning of the year so I was okay with letting my collaborative partner take the reins a bit. About 2 weeks out I started getting a bad feeling due to various things, but mostly just a feeling. I’m extremely organized when it comes to shoots, and most things I typically had established had not at all been touched upon. I played with the idea of cancelling, but like any vendor I know how that makes you look. Most of the vendors that signed on to do the shoot had done so through my coordination and networking. Therefore, cancelling would only directly let down my friends and personal connections.

Two days before the shoot my collaborative photographer had a family issue and had to drop out. I shook it off, reached out to an incredibly talented and reliable replacement. The secondary photographer happened to be in Denver the morning of, but stepped off her plane and headed our way. I seriously cannot thank her enough. In my second wind of planning I had structured everything to compensate for two photographers. There is absolute no way I could’ve done it alone. The morning of the shoot another vendor had a major family emergency and could not make it. I was able to collect part of what was intended, but couldn’t get access to the custom backdrop that had been created. I was able to track down a replacement alter and also made some purchases of my own to complete the new look. In spite of the set backs and last minute cancellations, I am so, so grateful for the contributions of all the vendors involved. I guess it was because I did the coordination, but I really personally liked this team. I feel like I made some new friends in addition to getting to know some really talented people. I also expanded my network quite a bit with 4 non-local vendors.

Although I was beyond tired and majorly stressed after all the last minute changes, I’m actually quite pleased with how these images turned out. I can definitely see a lot of myself in this shoot. I know everyone looks at me like I’m the wedding industry’s soft goth cousin, but with this project I really wanted to focus more on a softer editorial approach. It’s still moody though. It’ll always be moody. After reviewing the images I decided to change the name to Mid Century Moon in honor of the stunning cake Emily at Sweet Soiree provided. I could tell when she dropped it off she was a little uncertain about it, as she had purposefully exaggerated the design for my photography style. I felt like it’s dramatic look encapsulated the chaos surrounding the shoot, the time period which inspired the work, and my style overall. Because while darkness and drama can be intimidating they can also be beautiful, delicate, and utterly poetic.

V E N D O R S
venue: The Delaware Space
photography / coordination: Juliana Noelle Jumper
photography: Lexie Penichet Photography
videography: Rushing Productions
vintage camper: Insta Fun KC
floral: Nephew & Co.
cake: Sweet Soiree
stationary: Ellipsis Design
arbor: Supply Event Rentals
select rentals: Belle Journee
gown: Grace + Ivory
veil: Veronica Couture
jewelry: Cydney Ross
hmua: Looks by Logan / Makaela Tillman
models: (in order of appearance): Maddie Dong / Jessie Corbin / Joey Bartsch / Jeff Pavalone