La Dulce Vida ~ The Sweet Life

Forbidden Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Wed, 18 May 2016 22:34:00 +0000

It is almost summertime in Savannah.
I am awash with glitter and stardust.
I come bearing flowers and berries.
Ready to explode into the cosmos.

Forbidden Garden
Design by Dante Tyler
MUAH by Verando Marshall
Jewelry by Samson Smith

State of the art : Savannah Style

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Mon, 02 May 2016 15:40:00 +0000

Runway Fashion Show
Jepson Museum

Designers:
Brooke Atwood
Merline Labissiere

Kids On The Block...

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Thu, 31 Mar 2016 22:16:00 +0000

I have been searching for some raw unadulterated inspiration. Pure unfiltered and honest. For days and nothing...

I have changed the living room furniture around... Only to go back to the original setting. Made up a thousand recipes from the leftover Easter ham. Cut my hair and bought a new lipstick. Searching high and low and looking for inspiration as if they were my car keys and I had misplaced them... Then a knock on the door...

The kids on the block...

Not certain if it was the sunlight or their spirit... They filled me up like a bouquet of mylar balloons and I am now ready to create...

To whomever stumbles upon these images and words ...

Happy Springtime.

Gardens...

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Mon, 23 Nov 2015 15:16:00 +0000

Model: Amy H.

Makeup: Maia L.

Photography: Adriana I.

Location: Gardens.

White Flag...

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Sat, 02 May 2015 15:34:00 +0000

I look at him through red eyes that are swollen which mask my origin.
Unaware if I am happy, I falter.
I am a mix of fear and anger.
Laced with a bit of sadness and weakness.
Stuck between shades of green, grey and blues.
I look at him and tell him life is so hard for this heart of mine.
He shakes his head in disbelief knowing that I am the girl from that one sad song.

*************

The other day I felt as if there wasn't one soul on this earth frustrated with me.
The other day I felt as if I was carrying the weight of the galaxy on my shoulders.
The other day I felt that if I created accordingly it would be clear I have surrendered...

White Flag
Model: Carolyn A.
Photography & Concept: Adriana I.

Fleeting...

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 17:58:00 +0000

*unedited stream of consciousness...

It is not a comeback I have been here for years. There is rebirth and hibernation and I partake in the process. There are nights when my whole body is on fire and my fingers want to burn through these pages like a girl smokes a cigarette on prom night. For this is where I ran when I felt all alone. Me... in my truest form I run to what I know. Searching for connections like that one light bulb on the xmas lights strand we keep tightening with the hope of brilliance.

The cycles of life can be so chaotic and at times I just laugh and those around wonder why...

But it is life that have taught me to laugh as hard as I can even when those moments seem inopportune... even when it seems rude.

Because I know nothing lasts forever, because I know everything is so fleeting and life can be aggressive when it takes things you love from you. I laugh because even what seems promised it never is. At times what I fear the most is what I already know.

Fleeting...

I came home one afternoon to find a neighbor's garden filled with flowers. Cantaloupe color buds and flowers that for some reason filled me with sorrow and inspiration.

Maybe it was the weatherman's fault for broadcasting over the airwaves right as I pulled up that there would be rain. I pictured the buds and flowers wilting after they've waited all year for this one moment of splendor. Enduring all the elements for this one week in Spring and the show would last one day. It is such notion that filled me sorrow.

I called upon the muses to show their face and help me paint with light this cantaloupe and tangerine dream I had... Thanks Amy.

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Anais Nin

Savannah Stopover V

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 22:42:00 +0000

A year ago I documented bits and pieces from the Savannah Stopover festival. What is the Stopover? Savannah Stopover Music Festival capitalizes on the logistic of Savannah, Georgia’s proximity to interstates 95 and 10 by presenting traveling musicians with a welcoming place to play en route to Austin's prestigious SXSW Music Conference.

This year I was assigned to document all of our local bands for Do Savannah. Twenty different acts posed in front of my lens and I learned so much about my craft and the human spirit. I will always be grateful for the experience.

Sharing a few of my favorites that did not make it to print and if you ever find yourself looking a for a good music festival may I suggest Savannah Stopover.

Black Water Choir

Wave Slaves

BlackRune

Crazy Bag Lady

A.M. Rodriguez

Cusses

Boy Harsher

Sunglow

Wet Socks

Host

Velvet Caravan

Saint Corsair

Heavy Boots

Triathalon

COEDS

Ambrose

Grasshopper...

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 21:48:00 +0000

Last night under the covers I felt the winter's cold in my bones...winter is cruel to my senses and it violates all my sensibilities. I kept rubbing my feet like most grasshoppers do in the summertime. My knitted socks produced enough electricity to remind me you were laying right next to me and that I should seek for shelter. Afterall isn't that what grasshoppers do...

End of Fall...

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Tue, 16 Dec 2014 03:20:00 +0000

Linzer cookies and cappuccinos serve as sustainment as I am traveling and moving around the universe. Winter is slowly creeping in and I can feel it deep down on my bones but the music that surrounds me grow like wild roses through my ribcage keeping me warm. The holiday season holds so much magic. A combination of joy and melancholia which confuses my already weak heart. Holding onto myself so my soul don't fly away like the leaves on my magnolia tree...

While waiting for all the stars to be aligned and show me the direction...

I continue to create and wander...

Sunbathing...
Model: Amy H.
Photography & Headpiece: Adriana Iris

Thanks Amy can't wait to see what we create in 2015.

From Savannah, GA best wishes and hope you are enjoying the holiday season.

Just Because...

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Fri, 21 Nov 2014 00:03:00 +0000

Trophy Wives

American Hologram

Recreation The Band Cover Album art

Pretty things and people I've seen while documenting my own existence because I know life is short.

My favorite poem at the moment because I am such a sap.

Poem by Pablo Neruda

I Do Not Love You Except Because I Love You

I do not love you except because I love you;

I go from loving to not loving you,

From waiting to not waiting for you

My heart moves from cold to fire.

I love you only because it's you the one I love;

I hate you deeply, and hating you

Bend to you, and the measure of my changing love for you

Is that I do not see you but love you blindly.

Maybe January light will consume

My heart with its cruel

Ray, stealing my key to true calm.

In this part of the story I am the one who

Dies, the only one, and I will die of love because I love you,

Because I love you, Love, in fire and blood.

Halloween Inspired...

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 19:36:00 +0000

Many times I am inspired by someone perhaps something they did or said and that person doesn't even know it.

As if guarding a secret I use the inspiration to take me to places in my mind where I have not been.

I've been living life to the fullest and became my own lover.

I must admit... I am a damn good lover.

I have laughed with many strangers and traded many stories.

The city at the moment rages around me but I've built space where I find silence...stillness.

I can't seem to forget that I was bred by Yemaya, the African drum, magic and witchcraft.

Then... there is the nighttime. The moon that feeds my creative soul. The ghosts that try to creep in.

Haunting monsters that only reside within but I am always ready for a good battle.

*Four girls ran around a haunted house with a camera and this is what we created...

Haunted House Shoot

Models: Blair B, Carolyn A, Laura Y.

MUAH: Sarah Cuda

Photography: Adriana I

Location: Hilton Head Firefighters Haunted House.

Happy Halloween everyone...

Alpha...

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 22:05:00 +0000

When I wrote my last words here it was summer... Today it's autumn. At the beginning of the month I heard over the news that an Alpha female wolf had been shot and killed from the air. "A Huckleberry Pack has been feeding on sheep being raised on private forest lands in northern Stevens County in Washington - said the news reporter." The only wolf killed was the Alpha female shot from a helicopter by a federal contractor.

From up in the air they could not tell it was the Alpha.

From down on the ground I was inspired.

She Wolf

Models: Vy D. , Elaine H.

MUA: Megan G.

Photo & Styling: Adriana I.

Thanks Vy, Elaine and Megan.

A life in harmony with nature, the love of truth and virtue, will purge the eyes to understanding her text. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Castles In the Sky...

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 01:07:00 +0000

I have chosen exhilaration over comfort many times. Free falling I close my eyes and enjoy the ride. Everyday I wish to create magic not certain I only trust intuition. Unapologetic, I own my reality with my head up high and my spirit free.

There was once a country of honey

With roofs color vermilion

Where I was a queen, and he was the king

In a kingdom of love stories

My magical castle in the air...

Castle in the sky...

Model: Amelia J.

MUA: Emily W.

Location: Castle

Photography: Adriana I.

Belated Birthday...

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Fri, 15 Aug 2014 23:15:00 +0000

I began writing this post on August 10th...

On my birthday I went out to take a few photos. We had a shoot scheduled at another location and some magical theme planned but the day before most of Savannah was flooded. Expecting more rain on my birthday I drove to the top floor of a parking garage.
There at a garage parking lot with a model and 20 yards of tulle we shot. This is the outcome...

City Of Angels

Model: Ashlee C

Photography and Dress: Adriana Iris

August 10th...

Today would be the birthday of an ordinary girl from an ordinary place in no special time. Today is the day where she believes she was born. On a tiny place where most cartographers forget to point out. So tiny you need a magnifying glass. Today is the day where a girl declares her existence. She goes around proudly poor documenting her surroundings as if the images fed her anything other than her soul. Her mouth sings in the winter many summertime songs and in the summer she sings wintertime songs just to be original. Today would be the birthday of an ordinary girl from an ordinary place in no special time.

A Tribe Called Women...

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Mon, 28 Jul 2014 22:29:00 +0000

This blog post began on July the 20th of 2014. I was inspired by Brooke Shield's old movies Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon that would be my point of origin but the shoot fell flat. It was cloudy, rainy and I felt it had no dimension. Or maybe I had no dimension at the moment. At times I wonder if I am solar powered. My Pretty Baby was more like a scene of Rosemary's Baby and my Blue Lagoon was more like the Black Lagoon...

Unconciously... I deleted the files only keeping 3 images and I begged Amy to reshoot.

I gave her the excuse that most give... It's not you... It's me.

She asked "Are you breaking up with me?!"

To which I quickly reply "No, I just need a break".

And a break I took...

:::Enter Deedee:::

There are people that come into your life and without any explanation they enhace your life and reality bring happiness and laughter as if breathing life into you. There are beings that come into our lives and turn a dull day into nothing but beauty... That's Deedee. A tribal dance teacher and my make up artist for many of my shoots. A single mom finishing her Masters degree... she is perfect.

:::Thank You:::

Amy thank you for whispering the words primtive and Niema and for the many lessons.

Niema thank you for your vulnerability and spirit. I am honored.

I, now proudly present to you the production and creation of a small tribe of women...

The Tribe...

Models : Amy H., Niema R.

MUAH & Styling : Deedee C.

Photography: Adriana Iris

Location: Our Village aka Savvy, GA

“It’s the fire in my eyes,

And the flash of my teeth,

The swing in my waist,

And the joy in my feet.

I’m a woman...

Phenomenally.”

Maya Angelou

Tribe

Montparnasse...

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 00:40:00 +0000

I am sitting around in this cafe where for the price of a cappuccino and a scone I get to conduct a few business meetings. Artists' lack of space has always been an issue. I sit in this cafe which reminds me of the bohemian era of Montparnasse in France.

There and for many years artists were so poor they would rent a table to create and conduct their work. The resemblance to bohemian Paris is evident. Then, many masterpieces were drawn unto napkin paper as well as poetry that would make a grown man weep. Art that was lost in exchange of tobacco or a bottle of wine.

The artist movement is filled with such sacrifice and hunger. The artist is the innovator and dictator of trends. Artists are the manufacturer of visual beauty and new standards. Artists will create the new sounds and lyrics that will speak for a nation of repressed individuals. Music can guide towards freedom and for the ones already free it will turn you into a believer and maker of love.

There is a Bohemian Montparnasse in each city. It is the artist the one that can't even afford him/herself.

While the Bourgeoisie claims and steals ideas that are birthed in places such as small cafes, park benches even subway stations where most geniuses gather and meet with ideas fresher than your farm to table consumption... It is the artist that struggles to buy an apple.

Or in this case... another scone.

We are gulping the summertime as if our life depends on it.

Hope you are enjoying your summer days and nights.

Walk The Line...

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 15:51:00 +0000

There has been weddings, concerts, a haircut, dinners, parties and many cocktails...

There has been artists, dancers, singers and many poets...

It has been a while since I wrote and allow my thought process to be poured on these pages and I have missed it. These pages represent to me silence and stillness. I stay up all night but I can't seem to quiet my mind... I blame it on the moon and the stars. I have return to self and with a dance of my fingertips I let my spirit be free and open if only for a moment.

About my latest conceptual photos...

1. Not all have been published for I will somehow be showing many images that have yet to be seen at my imaginary gallery show that one day will happen.

2. I know I am supposed to allow you to think and find a meaning to whatever I create but...The series of images that will follow are nothing but a whispered scream. The following images to me represent femininity, satire and strength. I was inspired by Kay and for the things she never got to say and because deep within I know she had a great sense of humor. I was inspired by so many survivors and women across the world. I was inspired by the many women that settle because they feel they are not enough.

3. The following images are a whispered protest for the many times...

I walked next to a pig instead of loving myself.

Walk The Line...

Model: Wendy P.
MUA & Dress: Deedee C.

Pig: Amos

Photography: Adriana Iris

“Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the pig.”

Thanks Wendy P. and of course Amos which by the way...
He is way sweeter than most pigs I've come across...

Stay Sweet...

Paint The Sky...

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 13:48:00 +0000

Not certain where or from whom but I heard a saying " Paint the sky and make it yours". I make reference to the marshmallow clouds and how they inspire and allow me to daydream faster than I can go off to sleep. I have no control of my life but I do have so much control over my work and the things that inspire and challenge me. I allow silence to take over and from there ideas crawl out of it. From that silence images take over. From the silence I stare at the stars and the clouds...

Via

This cotton candy head of mine at times thinks some folks hung the moon and I just paint the sky and stars around it. Without any sugar left on my tongue these are my latest conceptual photos...

Paint The Sky...

Model: Amy H

Photography and Styling: Adriana Iris

Location: Savannah GA.

Thanks Amy H. for being such a great sport...

Happy Monday to everyone.

I Guess Not...

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 17:12:00 +0000

My photography continues to take me on rides challenging my visions and concepts. I experiment with light and textures and it is all becoming second nature. When my journey began with digital photography almost four summers ago, the blog was the means of documenting my process and growth. At times the blog became my confessional. The place and space where I would open up and admit to way too much. My goal was and always has been to be vulnerable. Each time I press that publish button I am vulnerable. I am naked, exposing myself and my ideas as well the abilities and disadvantages that I posses. Each time I hit publish I have butterflies in my stomach.

With that being said I now would like to show you a few images of my latest fashion photo shoot. Inspired by the old Guess Jeans fashion campaigns and by the summer season here are my latest photos...

Guess Not...
Models: Ashlee C. & Sergi S.
Photography: Adriana Iris
Location: Farm

Thanks to Sergi and Ashlee I had a blast...

Savannah, GA...

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 16:49:00 +0000

What else could I possibly say about Savannah?! I am in love with her. Her nights are endless and her days are intoxicating. Summer arrived with all of its glory. The muggy nights make you leave the house wearing chiffon, silks and ribbons in your hair. Tiny dresses and skirts with sandals all which make me flutter around as if I am lost in some fairyland.

This city is enchanting the perfect backdrop. The perfect stage for the many stories I wish to tell through images...

We picnic in the park and we bring flowers and candles and quilts and make it home and we set up and welcome those that stop by because that is the southern thing to do...

I am going to enjoy June and everything it has to offer. For as long as I have a moment I will not hurry or hush the marshmallow clouds that linger above me. When the flowers have wilted I will pin them to my wall since everything is so fleeting...

Instagram freak...

I did the month of May like the bees do and June will be no different...

Happy first day of June and a very Happy Summer season to each of you.

About Inspiration...

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Wed, 28 May 2014 02:11:00 +0000

So, I am filled with such inspiration that I am never worried about the future. Because I know inspiration doesn't find you. You must go and beg for it. Inspiration is way too precious and complex for it to give itself out. It doesn't willingly come and shows its face at you unless you go and seek for it. Inspiration isn't a submissive force but a tempestuous energy one that is untamed and carefree.

Art can be so messy and dirty while its pouring out of you. A real demon that drags you along through the back-alleys of your mind. It is not something you can stop even if you want to because in doing so you might drive yourself insane. You throw yourself away to be an artist and many times you attempt to blend and fit in and unsuccessfully you must retreat to that safe place which helps in the creation.

I met another young designer named Elyssa she will be graduating from the Savannah College of Arts and Design as a fashion designer. Her inspiration were the gardens at the palace of Versailles. I tried hard to recreate images at a location that were reminiscing of Europe and of course France. The following images represent her Senior project and collection. I hope you enjoy the images as well as the fashion.

Versailles

Designer: Elyssa Michelle

Photography: Adriana Iris

Location: Versailles.

Thanks Elyssa and all the models that took part of this session on a hot summer afternoon...

SCAD Runway Show 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Sun, 18 May 2014 14:02:00 +0000

It is Sunday let's start with a look at SCAD's Runway Fashion Show 2014. SCAD Senior Fashion Show and Award Show. SCAD proudly recognizes Stephen Burrows as the 14th recipient of the André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award. Presented each year in conjunction with the SCAD Fashion Show, the award commemorates outstanding contributions and continued excellence in shaping the fashion industry.

Savannah Fashion Week 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Tue, 13 May 2014 02:16:00 +0000

Running behind so here's a few from the runway at Savannah's Fashion Week 2014 that was held at Forsyth Park...

Avant Garde...

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Tue, 06 May 2014 13:33:00 +0000

Avant–garde noun : a group of people who develop new and often very surprising ideas in art, literature, etc.

Creative experimentation that fragments or rejects the norm speaks to my sensibilities. Avant garde means being at the leading edge and is applied to the most advanced, progressive and experimental fashions of the moment and prevents the industry from stagnating becoming dormant and dull. Avant garde often challenges the norms and boundaries already established. I continue doing the same with my personal life and experiences.

In the spirit of celebrating the misfits and the outcasts I share with you a shoot I did for a Puerto Rican fashion designer and her Senior project at SCAD in Savannah, GA. A modern Sports collection which she drew inspiration from her personal observations to the array of emotions which one thing can provoke in one person. We can all see the same things but ultimately perception will dictate the final emotion and information gathered from whatever situation is presented to each individual.

Avant Garde

Marly Cortes Senior Collection

MUA: Fefa Carlo

Model: Starla L.

Photography: Adriana Iris

Thanks Fefa, Starla and specially Marly...

Later Peeps...

Twitter...

noreply@blogger.com (Adriana Iris) — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 23:06:00 +0000

I am having technical difficulties.
Until then I call this one Twitter.

Twitter...
Models : Happy Birds.
Location: Forsyth Park, Savannah GA

Happy Midweek...

PS. I will be tweeting and Instagraming from Savannah's Fashion Week Runway tomorrow night @adrianairis