I've been following Wild Artistry Photography for a few years now, and have wanted to coordinate a shoot with them. I've seen them photograph some local burlesque friends like Ivy Les Vixens and Mayven Missbehavin. It wasn't until I saw Zia Sandia's recent and stunning photos with them that I was certain this was something I had to do before I left for Texas. 

The decision to book the shoot was pretty spur-of-the moment for me, but I felt certain that a mermaid shoot would be a perfect book-end for my cherished time in Sarasota. All the booking took place through Facebook and I was offered all the information I could have needed. Additionally, Wild Artistry kindly answered any questions I had. My shoot included the tail, 30 minutes of directed and styled photography, and 3 "heavily edited" "Dark Siren" shots all for $120*.  I purchased the "Power Package" so I could get copies of all of my raw shots as well as the opportunity to choose which photos I wanted retouched. This was an additional $40 well spent, and I highly recommend it to anyone that shoots with Wild Artistry! 

One of my long-term personal goals is investing in my own luxury mermaid tail, but this is something I've wanted to do when I feel I've reached an ending/maintaining place with my body. I'm not there yet. To prevent this from becoming a tangent on my opinions regarding various high-end tails, I'll just say for now that this was an interesting opportunity to try on a silicone tail, also. 

Hannah, the photographer, was friendly and knowledgeable, letting me know that I could pose however I liked but she found that there were a few poses that worked best with the tail. I told her I was fully in her hands and trusted her artistic judgement. The shoot went really quickly! First we shot me sitting up with my knees slightly bent, then on my side with the tail out and displayed, then on my belly with the tail curled up behind me.

The biggest challenge I faced was trying to keep my eyes open and face soft while the afternoon sun bore down and bounced off the sand. Well, that and waiting patiently for my finished edits. They were well worth the wait, and I couldn't be happier with the final result, as well as the experience overall. If you're a Florida performer, or just someone who wants to have their inner fantasy captured on film I can't recommend Wild Artistry Photography highly enough! ​

*Current pricing may vary

So many changes are happening in my world right now! I'm busy making preparations to move my entire life from beautiful, sunny Sarasota, FL to hip and happening Austin, TX. It's a big move, but one that I'm definitely ready for. I've been working extra hard on making sure my burlesque persona is tied up into a tight, sparkly package that I can share with Austin producers and even submit to festivals. 

Speaking of festivals, I submitted my application to The Ohio Burlesque Festival already! I'm considering submitting to the 2nd Annual Savannah Burlesque Festival also.

Creating this website and blog is also a part of these changes.

I'm also working on having a logo created, which I'm super excited about and can't wait to share. 

I've wanted to start a blog for a while, and can't promise any real theme or regularity just yet. My Livejournal Days' blogging style was very much stream-of-consciousness, which is basically what you're getting right now. 

In the future I may delve into topics like body positivity, mental health, self care, beauty, health and nutrition, all in how they relate to the glittery world of burlesque. 

Stay tuned!