Shooting in Palm Springs w/ German model, Berrit!

Coming to you live from the east coast […finally], myself, @vermillionfox and @millsguthrie are here in Pennsylvania with @bonni. @vermillionfox and I made it to the gem of Northeastern, PA, The Amber Indian restaurant. The best Indian food I’ve had in my life. @customnature and I have been regulars there since 2000. It’s the first place I go when I’m back in my hometown. After lunch, we made our way to our Caffetto away from home, a cute little coffee shop in Scranton called Adezzo. It’s a great place to sit and work. Good coffee and pastries. Nothing makes me happier than productivity as the day was just that. You can read more in @vermillionfox’s post today, “Leaving one coffee shop for another!”.

While I was working at Adezzo, I started editing a shoot from my Viva Las Vegas trip. This particular shoot was in Palm Springs with my friend Berrit. She and her husband Daniel put me up for a night and a necessary break from a rigorous travel schedule between Las Vegas and LA. The following afternoon, Berrit and I had a shoot booked which was surely going to be one of the highlights of my two week schedule. Berrit may look familiar if you’ve been reading my blog for a while. Three months ago I posted a blog titled “German cinema starlet, reincarnate!”. That will tell the entire story of how I came to meet Berrit during NOIR I LA […which I just elaborated on in my last blog “Contemplating the future of NOIR after five years of Old Hollywood photography!". Whew! Sorry for throwing all the links at you but context is always helpful and I don’t want to re-write the same story].

Our NOIR shoot was an incredible experience. Berrit modeling years ago but the cinematic, dark pinup esthetic of the NOIR event was enough for her to book a Monroe session with us. The photos we made that night were remarkable. Still some of my favorites of the year, and absolute first picks in my process of narrowing down the photos that’ll appear in the Dark Pinup book next Spring. After NOIR, Berrit and Daniel texted me about booking another session during my next trip to the west coast during the Spring.

That day arrived and I was so grateful to stay with Berrit and Daniel. They were the kindest hosts a travel weary artist could have asked for. I had an opportunity to see Daniel’s fine art drawings in person. We talked art, photography and their native Germany […my family has roots in Germany as well]. They treated me to an incredible dinner. I took a late night run through Palm Springs, absorbing the beautiful scenery of their home tucked in the middle of the mountains […actually, glad that was in April because it’s 118° there currently].

Our shoot was a collaboration of sorts, this time. Berrit gather several interesting wardrobe selections from her massive closet of eclectic outfits. We made great use of the space in their Mid-Century modern home. Daniel will be drawing some of these images in his signature dark graphite, photo-realistic style. He asked for texture, and I purposely came up with over the top concepts that would be near impossible to capture with a pencil […like shooting Berrit under a textured sheet with wrinkles while wrapped up in illuminated Christmas lights. Daniel would laugh and in a thick German accent say “What are you doing to me?! This is going to be my death to actually draw this!”.

It pained me to leave Palm Springs that night. I wish I could have stayed with them for a week. I had pressing shoots in LA the following morning, one of which was the Vixen look book for Micheline Pitt, which I couldn’t risk being late or unprepared for. I said my goodbye’s and left my German friends at their door with the sorrowful “Tschüss!” and drove off for Los Angeles. Today was spent editing the photos from this shoot with Berrit entirely, and it was such a treat. I hope you enjoyed them as well.

I post often! For more photography, illustration, art and writings on life and career, follow me here @kommienezuspadt!