It's a photo shoot!

It's hard to believe that every day only consists of 24 hours when give had a day like mine! Today has been soooo long! Great but long.
I have a newfound appreciation for models. Honestly not just models but everyone in the fashion business when it comes to photo shoots because it is a LONG process and very detail oriented. Today I had the pleasure of shooting with a great photographer named Max Luger here in Atlanta, GA who, with the help of Nat Brown on my makeup, Kyaira Brown as my hair stylist, and an assortment of assistants and helpers on set, made me feel comfortable, confident and look oh so glamorous! I must admit that going into it I was pretty nervous because I've never had such an in depth photoshoot with all eyes on me, full glam squad, wardrobe changes, and especially never took non athletic shots, but after some time I started to go with the flow.

When you become a professional athlete, especially in this track world, you kind of get put in a box where you're looked as only an athlete and your only appeal is what you can do on the track. But I've never been content with that, not for me. I have always felt like I wanted more, I needed more, and I could achieve more...and now that I'm finally on that quest to do it I'm really excited for what's to come. I thank God that I finally was able to believe in myself enough to know that I can't wait for the track world or shoe companies to approach ME and say "OK NOW you're good enough to be the face of our brand" or "Now you're good enough to get crossover endorsement deals", I realized that I had to grab life by the horns and shake things up! I think it hit me the hardest that it was time for me to branch out when I went up to NY Fashion Week for my birthday and my boyfriend Will was up there doing PR work and walking red carpets showcasing his Olympic hardware! Now don't get me wrong I LOVED going with him and supporting but he & that helped me realize that we do have more options and that I am worth it to explore them!
Soooo it all started with hiring a publicist who doesn't manage athletes but mostly entertainers because I wanted a new perspective on how to proceed and this new set of eyes that has worked in the entertainment industry for 20 years now. And now the journey begins with this photo shoot I did today. Mannnn it was FABULOUS!
There were so many different looks! Of course I had my athletic look but in a soft, SHAPE magazine cover type of way, but there were always some edgy and sexy looks, over the top glamour and even topped it off with some shots with me in a CROWN. (Befitting for a Queen right?!)
I will admit that I was feeling kind of awkward at the beginning because I am a novice and modeling is all about angles and curves and putting your body and faces in positions that give off the best product (the best shot!). But after a while I just related it back to track and field and realized I do the same thing within my craft! I put my body (less face, but sometimes face when the camera is watching lol!) in sprinting and hurdling positions so that I can get the best product! (a fast race). Once I kind of got that correlation I got a lot less stiff and was able to get some really good shots!
Here's a behind the scenes shot my girl Tresa took while I was mid shot. It's a lot sexier than anything I've done before but I'm proud of myself for trying something new plus they came out HOT! :)

All in all today was definitely tiring but extremely productive and fun! I'm excited to see the finished and edited shots and even more eager to show you all!
As always thank you for taking time out of your day to see how MY day was and until next time...

*MUAH!