Palm Springs with Lotus Den Hair at CasaDeVito

I was approached back in summer about a photoshoot trip to Palm Springs by Bethany Catalfamo (@stylistbethany) at her new Airbnb CasaDeVito (@casadevito) in Palm Springs for her salon Lotus Den Hair Studio (@lotusdenhair). Typically, I myself pay to go on these trips so it sounded like a super fun opportunity for me to be able to plan the trip.

Over the next month or two I reached out to models, makeup artists, brands, other photographers, etc. to try and put together a team for Palm Springs to join myself and the Lotus Den Hair stylists. It was quite a process and actually took a significant amount of time to plan and organize (Google spreadsheets was so helpful!), but we had a fabulous shoot and I have content to last me months!

It was 3 days and 2 nights, however some girls couldn’t come the whole time. For me, it was another 2-3 days after the trip to just sort and edit all the images but I was able to narrow it down to a feebly 646 images (lol). I had met some of these girls previously, but others I met on the trip, but we all got close and it was so nice getting to know them. Hope you enjoy some of the magic we created!

Models: Sade Katarina (@sadekatarina), Peyton Lake (@peytonlake), Miranda Dos Santos (@mirandatwosaints), Heather Wrixon (@heatherwrixon), Carly Rey Yaeger (@charly.reyy), Mary Simmons (@marygoldofficial)

Photographer/Stylist: myself (@allisoncarolcreatives / @allisonsherman4)

Photographers: Taylor Krause (@taylorkrausecreative), Stephanie Klotz (@stephanieklotzphoto)

Makeup: Nancy Z (@msnancyz)

Hair: Lotus Den Hair Studio (@lotusdenhair), Bethany Catalfamo (@stylistbethany), Tabitha Skantz (@the_blonde_whisperer), Sierra Badillo (@sierradoeshair), Emily Stebbings (@emilystebbingshair), Sheri Giusti (@shergiusti)

Brands: Brixton (@brixtonwomens), Hannah Frost Jewelry (@hannahfrostjewelry), Vibe Apparel (@vibeapparel_co), The Fox and the Mermaid (@thefoxandthemermaid), Swim Like A Mermaid (@swimlikeamermaid), Lucy Paris (@lucyparislabel), Boom Boom Brazil (@boomboombrazil), Royalie (@shoproyalie)

TGS Unplugged Dazey Desert House

I had the opportunity to go on TGS Collective’s “Unplugged” weekend to the Dazey Desert House in Palm Springs. Their “Unplugged” weekends are trips offered for creatives a part of the collective to unplug from social media and the hustle and bustle of their daily life to wind down, get inspired, shoot, edit, learn from other creatives, and have a motivational course taught by the founder, Alex Morehouse.

This was my second Unplugged trip with TGS. I like to go on short trips with other creatives not necessarily to get away and unplug from my busy life, but to connect with other likeminded people in my field and get amazing content, although it is nice for a social media break every once in a while.

The Dazey Desert House is a pretty special Airbnb owned by the same woman that founded Dazey LA (@dazey_la), an LA-based clothing brand with rad funky designs and graphics. There isn’t a boring spot in the house and it’s all very colorful and retro looking, (just like the clothing brand) – a photographer’s dream! My work is generally more outdoorsy but I still had a great time shooting all the trendy insta-worthy spots in and around the house. We also went to a cute tiki-themed hotel and shot around in the desert too.

This Unplugged trip was pretty special because it was a small team of all girls, so we got deep and really connected. I had known three of the girls previously, Alex (@chiefwolfblood), Larissa (@larissaraquelphoto), and Hannah (@hannahrosesesser), but it was my first time meeting Julianne (@julianneglass) and Sydney (@sydswing) and we got pretty close for just a 3 day/2 night trip. Had so much fun with these ladies and I can’t wait to do something like this again!

Pinecrest Cabin feat. Gentle Fawn

Went to Pinecrest, CA a few weeks back with some friends and it was such a great trip! Our crew consisted of Kalista (@listyyloo) and her boyfriend Colton (@coltrainkilla) who were kind enough to host us at her family cabin, Daniel (@deer_dann) and his boyfriend Ish (@ohheyits_ish), Kelsey (@princess_kelbelle), David (@d_ardill), Erikson (@eriksonerise), as well as my boyfriend Zach (@zstude). 

I partnered with Canada-based brand, Gentle Fawn (@gentlefawn), as well for this trip and was able to get some rad content of their pieces. The green floral kimono, tan pattern kimono, lace-up v-cut sweater, pink lace dress, and green floral dress are all Gentle Fawn. 

We had a weekend full of adventures including photoshoots indoors and out (one of my fave things obviously), going to Pinecrest Lake, trekking around in the snow, eating lots, watching 90s movies, hanging by the fireplace, David getting his drone stuck in a tree, etc. But perhaps the biggest adventure of the weekend was staying in a cabin with eight other people and having the water pipes frozen! This means no showers, no washing hands/dishes, no flushing the toilet (unless you replace the water in the back of the toilet with a bucket of water from a leaky pipe), etc. It was unfortunate, but also was so funny and memorable.. boy will we have stories to tell forever! 

Zach was even such a trooper and (reluctantly) did couples photos with me! He's not a fan of photos at all, which is actually ironic knowing me haha. Dan did a great job with them!

I'm really looking forward to spending more weekends like this with friends in the upcoming year. They're so special, so much fun, all the photographers and models get bomb content, and it's loads of adventure without loads of cash. As much as I would love to take extravagant trips all the time, there are more affordable options nearby of places I've never been to that I'd love to check out! Perhaps the next one will be Big Sur or the PNW? We'll see. You'll have to stay tuned! 

TGS Unplugged - Palm Springs

This trip was one for the books! TGS Collective (@tgscollective) put together a rad weekend at an AirBnb in Palm Springs for us creatives to UNPLUG from social media. We all can get so caught up in social media, we can get lost in the present.

Unfortunately though, in this generation in order to have a successful and lucrative career in the creative world -  whether you're modeling, photographing, filming, styling, designing, etc. -  you have to have be hustling and working hard online. It can be overwhelming at times for sure. This weekend was a time to unwind, set goals, and get inspired!

This weekend brought together such an awesome crew; TGS' leading lady - CEO and founder,  Alex Morehouse (@chiefwolfblood), photographer and TGS Collective Manager, Daniel Woods (@deer_dann), and fellow photographers Erikson Erise (@eriksonerise), and David Ardill (@d_ardill). Models included Kalista De Hart (@listyyloo), Tiana Ingram (@rosetiana_), and Andrelina Perazzo (@andrelinaa_). Not everyone knew or had met one another before the trip, but by the end of it we were all super close!

Before the trip, I had gone to Goodwill to find some interesting pieces to shoot with. Sometimes the crazier the clothing, the cooler the shot. Or it could turnout weird.. but that's up to you - the photographer and creative visionary! Many of the pieces in the photos below ya girl thrifted up a storm to find, and I'm so glad that I did because they turned out bomb! I'm a strong believer in that if your outfit is no bueno, the photo will likely be no bueno as well.

This is part of the reason I love to style my own models - if they're on point, you're on point. I got the pearly beaded blazer, white lace cover-up dress, red oriental top (Tiana bought it from me after the session!), sheer fringe kimono, floral romper, navy blue floral dress, and black sheer embellished dress - all between $5-$9 apiece. Recycled fashion KILLIN' the game! WHAT WHAT?!

We spent the weekend creating, laughing, relaxing, editing, sharing Photoshop and Lightroom tips and tricks, styling looks, eating, bonding, and overall just loving our lives away with the freedom from social pressures and the outside world. We encouraged each other, helped one another, and we left feeling motivated and ready to conquer our business goals. We all had our own stories and our own obstacles, but together we all had one thing in common - we love creating and we're ready to work our butts off to get where we want to be. 

THANK YOU GUYS FOR INSPIRING ME! And for a killer weekend.. And for killer pics. Much love.

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Mammoth Lakes feat. Lovestitch Clothing

Ever since I saw the most mesmerizing photo a year ago with a girl in steamy hot natural pool surrounded by snow, I knew I needed to visit Mammoth Lakes! Took me a while to plan and get a crew together after I first learned about it, but needless to say it was one of the most fun and memorable trips of 2017! I collaborated with Lovestitch Clothing @lovestitchclothing on this trip as well, so many of the looks I'm wearing are from them - the blush tied top, paisley printed long sleeve maxi dress, and the black floral long sleeve dress. Loved these outfits for the vibe of the trip!

The lovely ladies that accompanied me on this trip were Hannah Sesser (@hannahrosesesser), Sarah Lydia (@thesarahlydia), Haley Hudson (@darlinghaley), Jazlyn Sward (@jazlynnicollete), and Claire Dean (@clairealydean). Chiara Spee (@chiaraspee) joined us for the first day but unfortunately was not feeling too well so she headed home early. After we carpooled up to Mammoth and met at ZPizza, we shot around the Mammoth Visitor center until dark and made our way to the Airbnb. We struggled for an hour or so getting into our Airbnb.. turns out when you view your trip itinerary from the email they send you and on your account online it doesn't include the dreadful scavenger hunt your host messaged you months back to get the keys. Haha what a joke it was. We thought we were going to have to turn around and drive six hours home because we couldn't get in and couldn't afford to drop another few hundred dollars on a hotel nearby. Thankfully by the grace of God we were able to get ahold of someone who gave us information about where to retrieve the keys. Definitely was freaking out for over an hour, but once we got inside all was good. We finished off the night at a bomb Thai restaurant. We had a very veg-friendly crew on the trip so ordering and eating out was a dream because we could all share!

Saturday started off with brunch and then off to Convict Lake. It was such a beautiful site - snowy peak mountains surrounding a cool blue lake. It was so windy though, almost blew us over a few times. Shot around and explored the area and then went to lunch. We decided to try and find these magical hot springs that I had heard so much about. Turns out the visitor center can't even tell you about them because they don't have proper facilities or bathrooms so we had to go off of some random blog post directions. We parked the second car (Sarah's) before we headed out on a bumpy dirt road. Sarah's front right tire got caught in a sunken hole filled with water and we couldn't get the car out! At this point, we we're freaking out, thought we had to call a tow truck, have my car tow her car out, etc. neither of which were good options. We ended up finding a random toilet seat in the lot and covered the hole with it so Sarah could maneuver her way out of the hole while we all pushed the car (in our decked out outfits mind you). It was quite the site to see haha but it worked! So we all hopped in my car and went down this sketchy dirt road for about 20 minutes before we realized the hot springs were nowhere close to there and we'd made a wrong turn. WWOWWW. All of that just to have to turn around because we messed up. We ended up making the most of it though and finally found where we were supposed to go about 2-4 miles away. Ah-ha! We finally made it to the magical hot springs! We walked down a wooden path for about ten minutes only to arrive to have each hot spring packed with people. At this point, it was almost sunset and we didn't have much time to shoot anyways. We made a decision to come back for sunrise the next day to shoot instead and for now just hang and shoot around the area. So back to the Airbnb we went for the night to share stories, snacks, drinks, and talked for hours.

Sunday we woke up around 4:45 to catch the sunrise at the hot springs. Since we had been there the day before but didn't shoot in them, we knew right where to go this time around. There were a couple people there at that time surprisingly but we worked around them and everyone was pretty friendly. I photographed the girls and then snuck some in of me at the end that Hannah and Jazlyn took. These shots though - so good! Life and trip complete!! We finished up and headed back to our Airbnb within an hour or two. We packed up our things and finished off our trip at brunch before carpooling back down to Los Angeles. Seriously had the best time with these girls on this trip. Mammoth Lakes you will be missed!! Until next winter!