"The South- where roots, place, family, and tradition are the essence of identity." - Unknown
A few weeks back a project for Target's RED magazine had us traveling once again down to the Target House in Memphis, TN. No doubt it’s a favorite location to spend a few days working, as well as time experiencing this fine slice of southern living. While in Memphis, we were fortunate to secure access and spend an afternoon shooting stills + motion at the legendary Earnestine & Hazel's.
The passage of time leaves its mark on places we inhabit, and in turn upon those who inhabited these spaces. Earnestine and Hazel’s at 531 South Main Street in downtown Memphis, TN (having a colorful history as a sundry shop, bar, hotel, and brothel to name a few) is one of these places that has been around long enough to fill volumes with tales of triumph, defeat, jealousy, reconciliation, love won, love lost. It’s a breath of old, fresh air that circulates a certain mystique of smells, sounds, and visuals to all who enter the front door - the wealthy, the poor and everyone in between.
The building containing Earnestine & Hazel’s speaks for itself and the location made for the perfect setting for the test shoot we put together including two local models and a talented wardrobe stylist. Our talent Kaycee and Cassie were wonderful to work with and fit nicely within our vision of this project. Sona Amroyan brought many options for wardrobe and as a fashion designer herself, pulled a few original pieces from her collection to augment what we already had in mind. The still and motion visuals captured are different from what we have done in the past. We implemented a variety of light modifiers, which added to the overall look and helped us push this project in a new direction. The importance of testing is still paramount for us in an effort to create new looks and try out new ideas. There is no fail in a test only learning and building upon a foundation of the tried and true.
Enjoy a slice of life from a historical venue in Memphis, and be sure to check out the next post when we unveil the long awaited “Of Feather and Brace” a motion based tale of hunting one year in the making.
