I had so so much fun with this photo shoot. The minute she emailed me and asked me to photograph her and what she wanted to do, I was completely ecstatic! I immediately went to Google and researched Wreck the Dress photography. I could hardly wait! We went out in the evening so we could catch some awesome sun action as is was starting to set, but not set so much that it was already behind the mountains. The results were amazing, and made it so difficult to deside which ones to use as her preview. I loved them all! Catching her "proud of herself" expressions, and as she laughed as she and her daughter joked, really brought out who this gorgeous woman is! Shes fun and carefree, and just really enjoys life and her family.
For her "Wreck the Dress" was her way of saying "Goodbye" to Fort Irwin. Her husband has been deployed for the past year. So it really became a perfect statement of "We made it through one more crazy deployment strong as ever." Plus I mean seriously, how many of us can fit back into our wedding gowns years after our special day to give it one more dance in the sun.
As Jen sees it, "This is its last hoorah, it already has a big ole chocolate stain on it, so I mean, what else am I supposed to do with it, I want to go have some fun with it before I literally throw it away. It just ends up as an extra box on the moving truck during a PCS"
We brought 5 gallons of water, lets face it, we're in the desert literally in the middle of no where, there is not body of water for miles, and I mean MILES. Heck the nearest real town is 35 miles away down a two lane road. Plus doing these in the desert was very important to the statement and memory that she wanted to make. This has been their lives for the last 2.5 years.
So she brought some spray paint, an old trunk, a pair of her hubbies combat boots, an American Flag, and a bottle of her husbands favorite Bud Light. The amount of people that honked at her while we were on Fort Irwin Rd was crazy! I dont think we stopped laughing during the entire shoot. Once we got to the dried lake bed; as a good friend says, izzz onnnnn" Her daughter and a friend dumped 2 gallons on water on her and the ground. We wanted to make sure the ground got nice and muddy. So she knelt down right in the puddle we created and as she lifted the front of her dress, she was very please with herself. I mean it was like thick clay had stuck to her dress. We went to town, she rolled around on her stomack just having a blast.. We poured more water on it, which really actually helped to spread the clay and make it look dirtier. She sat down; poured beer on it; and then; oh yes we spray painted the words "Adios Irwin" on the bottom on her train. "Peace Out" kinda became her staple for the shoot, so her daughter sprayed a big peace sign on the front of her dress and went crazy with the back.. They were so completely happy with what they did to this dress. She said "It feel liberating!" I would do another one of these shoots in a heart beat!
This last photo really became one of the favorites. Perfect in black and white. It really brought out just how dirty we got this thing. You can see all the details from the dress just perfectly. From the embroidery, to the lace and tulle. Her pearly bracelet and bare feet in the muddy cracked floor added the perfect touch.
Jen, I can't thank you enough for the opportunity to help you create this memory. I had such a blast with you! Have an amazing time at your new duty location, I know you'll have fun where ever you !
xoxo,
Ro
