Meet Arielle

Anyone who knows me knows. Yes, it’s true, I have a bit of a girl crush on Zooey Deschanel. From the first time I saw her face in Almost Famous five years ago, I’ve been kind of obsessed. For awhile there, the only movies I could find her in weren’t really all that great (i.e. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Failure to Launch, and The Happening)… but then I think she found the role that was made for her in this year’s (500) Days of Summer. So, so good. When I heard her sing in Elf, I was pretty shocked by her voice, too…. so when she released an album with M. Ward under the name She & Him, I was pretty much instantly smitten. Everything about her just screams “adorable.” Okay, so you don’t believe me? A) Go listen to She & Him’s Volume One and B) look at the pictures below:

from a spread in Domino magazine (R.I.P.):

from a spread in InStyle magazine:

from a spread in Nylon magazine:

…….BUT.

This blog is not about Zooey Deschanel. It’s about a girl I met who looks a whole lot like her. :)

A few weeks ago, Arielle came in our store and ordered her usual venti nonfat chai latte, and when she left, I turned to Camron (my fellow barista/master of knuck-breaking) and asked her on a scale of one to ten how weird it would be if I asked Arielle if I could photograph her. You know, because she’s so darn cute and has such good style. NOT because she looks like an actress-turned-singer I happen to be obsessed with. OF COURSE NOT. Camron assured me it wouldn’t be weird at all, so I mulled it over and thought that maybe, just maybe, I’d work up the nerve and put myself out there and possibly look like a complete idiot. A week later, I hadn’t seen Arielle since then, and I was in the back room on my break, and suddenly Bryan ran back and was all “YOUR SUPERMODEL IS HERE!” And I almost fell on the floor and died of embarrassment on the spot. But instead I was all, “Ummm…. Uhhhh….. Welll…..” And Bryan said, “Just go talk to her!” And I said, “Errr, I don’t know….” And then HE said, “Well, it’s okay, Camron already told her.” Pardon me? What? She’s standing right out there and she KNOWS I’ve been photo-stalking her? AWKWARD. So I quickly grabbed a business card out of my purse and went out there. And asked her. And she was totally cool about it. Unlike the stuttering, red-faced me. So one thing led to another, and before you know it, we’re Facebook friends and we’re setting up a shoot. Yesss!

I could go on and on about all the things that made this shoot so perfect. But when you have a girl who looks like Arielle and has mad style, the perfect golden 5 pm light, a professional makeup artist and friend and master flash holder (go Tamilyn!), and a gorgeous urban setting…. Well, it’d be pretty hard to screw it up. So thank goodness I didn’t. At least, I don’t think so. :)

I just can’t get over these images. They were so much fun to take, and so much fun to edit. I almost didn’t want it to be over! So enough of my rambling…. Onward!

This wall? Didn’t even know it was there until five seconds before we shot on it. Pretty much the best discovery ever.

This makes me think of 60′s French movies, a la Brigitte Bardot.

Arielle was all, I don’t really model so I hope you can get some good stuff out of this. And I ask, are you kidding me?!

Big. Blue. Eyes. Love.

Simply lovely.

Thank you golden afternoon light for making my life.

I’m still not actually sure what I did with this one, processing-wise. But I LOVE it! It feels like a faded Polaroid photograph from the 70′s.

One of my absolute faves.

I feel like the only things missing from this image are Humphrey Bogart and a cigarette.

Then we went inside to the store where Arielle and Tamilyn work, Bohme. Tamilyn insisted that we use this fabulous brocade wall to shoot against. Good call, Tamilyn. Also, it should be noted again that I have never had a flash holder quite like this girl. I was just expecting her to stand there with it, but she was all over the place, totally following where I was going with the camera and which angles Arielle was facing. It was pure magic. Tamilyn, you’re awesome. Okay? Okay.

Arielle also wanted some shots in her very first Anthropologie dress. (We have a mutual love. I should not live and work so close to that store.) Isn’t it adorable?

And of course I had to get some BFF shots. Tamilyn and Arielle, you guys were AMAZING. Thank you so much for not being totally creeped out by me, and for going along with all my suggestions. I hope you love these images as much as I do.

And moral of the story: Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Or at least have a coworker do it for you. :)

And what would a good post be without a slideshow? CLICK HERE TO WATCH IT, and please enjoy “Sweet Darlin’” by- who else?!- She & Him. (Sorry Arielle, I couldn’t resist!)

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