[Part 1 of this story, featuring pictures from the Rose Project, can be found here.]
The most recent Rose Project was completed at the Grael Gallery in San Francisco. It was our sixth session, and we decided to use a hair and makeup crew, like we did during one of my last sessions with Cash Askew, a friend and collaborator of mine who passed away last year. It had been fun to watch her transform during the photo shoot.
I ask the participants if they had a “dream look,” and the hair and makeup professionals generously donated their time in order to style everyone. Alice Blue Graves did a wonderful job with the hair. I met our makeup artists — Teresa Moorehouse and Karen Elizondo Torres — at a previous shoot. Karen was one of my subjects, and Teresa had done her makeup. They became close friends through the experience.
Most everyone from this project has found me via word of mouth or Instagram. My assistant is a wonderful 19-year-old named Bailey Kobelin who is also featured in this photo shoot. Bailey is a photographer and is active in the queer music scene.
The gorgeous flowers were donated by local florist Bell and Trunk Flowers. Hunter-Savoy Jaffe, whom I first met at the candlelight vigil for the Oakland Ghost Ship fire, works for Bell and Trunk and connected me to the owner, Vanessa. Hunter-Savoy has been so supportive of this project from the beginning and was one of the past participants. I often use flowers in my work, and some of my most favorite images of Cash feature her holding roses. The addition of these nice flowers really adds to the photo shoot and makes the subjects feel more comfortable when they have something to hold.
