Good evening, Steemians! Today was exactly the nonstop, high crypro-energy day I expected it to be. I walked up to the Roseville Apple Store at 10:30a.m., just as they opened with Shift card in hand. Tomorrow I’ll be doing an in-depth review and unboxing of the new iPad Pro. After that, 
Her name is Jenna and we’d followed one another on Instagram for years. It was always this accepted understanding that one day, we would shoot together. She’s a beautiful, slender vintage enthusiast living outside of LA. About a year ago, I visited my friend Rick Miller’s Surf Club Art Gallery in Hollywood for an opening night that I had two photos on display. That was the night I finally met Jenna! She was even more stunning in person!
Jenna and I stayed in touch and when I announced my annual NOIR I LA event, it wasn’t long before I got a form and deposit notification that she was signing up! I was ecstatic! She drove over 2 hours south from Bakersfield and arrived at The Biltmore Hotel in downtown LA. She, and all of the women that participated in NOIR were made shoot ready by a world class beauty team and styled in lingerie by one of my sponsors, What Katie Did lingerie. She looked absolutely perfect and despite the fatigue of 11 previous shoots, I was on an adrenaline rush to photograph Jenna!
The shoot was incredible, but this story takes a tragic twist. When I got back to Minneapolis and began browsing the images, I was getting a corrupt image data error. On every single photo! I tried not to panic and inserted the original memory card, and again saw hundreds of corrupt data icons as my heart sank, deeper and deeper. I had a really hard time coming to terms with this reality as weeks went on and all attempts at recovering the data failed. I eventually called her, and broke the news. I said “…I can either refund you, I can fly you to Minneapolis for a make up shoot, or I’ll meet you in LA to shoot again.”.
Jenna was disappointed, of course, but her understanding of the situation is what really cemented her in my heart as an exceptional human being. She took it as little more than a “It happens”, opinion. Far more mature than I was as it ate me alive. I made a hasty decision to fly back to LA just a few short weeks later, and THIS is the shoot you’re seeing here on Steemit tonight.
Jenna met me at a beautiful Mid-Century Modern home in Fullerton, CA. I booked one of the absolute best make-up artists I know; Amber Rose, one of my friends from Minneapolis who was Prince’s MUA for years. Jenna is a diehard vintage collector and brought a huge variety of wardrobe and like that, the shoot was completed. My debt to her fulfilled, and photos that turned out even better than the NOIR debacle. Hope you enjoyed them!
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