Welcome back to my blog. I’m really excited to share this photo shoot with you guys because it’s the collaboration of thirteen people and their creative skill. That’s hard to do when it’s a TFP shoot, so I am so impressed that everyone came together for this on their own time.

“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” – Maya Angelou  

It started with an idea and vision from stylist/model Kayla Smith

Being influenced by female models I would see in magazines, advertisements and television at a young age generally displayed women of one exact skin tone. I continuously kept wondering, why is there never a diverse and unite group of models shown?

It is so rare, yet so sad, that the color of our skin depicts whether or not we are considered to be beautiful – and that is where I step in. The idea behind this shoot with the awe inspiring Kaitlin Newman (awh thanks Kayla!), was to create a look similar to many of the known Vogue covers – applying a broader spectrum of diversity- personality, unique features, and a passionate heart for multiculturalism.

For almost a full month I reached out to over 30+ models, makeup artists and hairstylists to bring my vision to a collective fruition. This shoot included ethnicities of Filipino, Slovakian, Asian, African-American, Caucasian, Bolivian, German, Irish, and Hispanic. Just as Kaitlin had stated, “never have I ever worked with a group of strangers who have the same motivated drive to achieve a team effort concept and it turn out beautifully.” I cannot be anymore grateful for this opportunity, the support and commitment of the gorgeous models, talented makeup artist Brae Adams, hairstylist Eboni Gardner and lastly of course, Kaitlin and her intern Kyle! Artistry at its finest with the world viewed as one.

I hope you enjoyed these portraits as much as I enjoyed creating them. Diversity in the photo world is SO IMPORTANT, especially during a time when every “instagram model” looks like a carbon copy of the one before. Any person is capable of a beautiful portrait; the beauty from the portrait comes from the uniqueness of the person.

Producer & Stylist
@kaylajanaesmith 

Models  
@kaylajanaesmith / @msfox1992 / @lillymonet / @anarnr / @_imdifferenttt_ 
                @mt_foreverloved / @sincerely.chrissyc / @katgrafei 

MUA & Hair
@_beatbybrae / @thehaiart

Photographers
 @KaitlinObscura / @keylimehi