What’s up, Hive? Another night at home before the clock strikes midnight. I’ve been venting a lot lately about my routine being disrupted and tonight, sadly, was no exception. @caffetto closed at 10:00p.m., two hours earlier than usual. First world problem, I know, but after two years of COVID, I long for a routine again. The post pandemic world means businesses seem to close or open whenever they want, with whatever ridiculous conditions they want to enforce. It’s frustrating and a daily reminder that we are, in fact, in a new world than we were before March of 2020. Rant over, for now.

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Alright. Something positive after the pandemic was my long awaited return to Viva Las Vegas last month. I would typically book somewhere between 15 - 25 shoots, each requiring hair, make-up, a location and in some instances, wardrobe. This year, I was a guest photographer for two events held during the Rockabilly Weekend. The first was Ladies First, an event I’ve co-hosted with my friend Ana since 2017. This year, returning for the first time since 2019, we booked a massive penthouse at a Vegas hotel and shoot with 7 beautiful models.

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One of those models was our friend Jenni. I’ve shot with Jenni many, many times since 2014. I met her during my annual NOIR event and we’ve remained close ever since. That always makes things easier when a model understands my unusual approach to a dark pinup shoot. The team we worked with was one of the best and by the time Jenni was in front of my camera, the hair and make-up team had her ready for this moody session. The sun was setting and on the top floor of the hotel, the lighting was incredible.

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The following morning, Ana and I started shooting again just as the sun came up over the Nevada desert. Our first client that morning was a burlesque performer named Shimmy. She sat for hair and make-up and made her way to me for our session. Immediately, it was clear that she knew her body and her poses. That’s typical with burlesque dancers or anyone in theater, and I began directing her in to unusual poses and interesting light play with the hotel lamps and natural sunlight. More of this shoot to come, but for now, enjoy this first image.