THE BTS OF ONE ICONIC PHOTO SESSION

1. Ashanti was leaving the island the day after the photo session.

2. My mom and Andreea had just arrived from Romania, so they were jet-lagged, sleeping in the back seat.

3. We stopped on the side of the road to buy coconuts from a lady named LOVE, and we vibed with the location and her wisdom.

4. This marked the beginning of the documentary Andreea and I are working on, “Planul Vieții” / “Life’s Plan”. @andreeadin

Words from Ashanti, our muse:

“Everything was inspired by Africa in some capacity. The hairstyle was an ode to the Bantu Knot hairstyle seen across Africa and the diaspora, the face markings as well.

I did try to accentuate the eyes with dark liner like the beautiful Ethiopian women who cared for my hair while I lived in the Middle East would wear.

I wanted my appearance to reflect the pride I have in being a woman of African descent in a modern world that has historically made that a point of shame.

I had the photo shoot because I wanted to capture the fact that I was closing a chapter of my life and beginning a new one. I wanted to have something tangible to remind me of that period of my life and a way to visualize all the spiritual and physical growth I’d experienced.“

Magic happens when you Take the first step towards yourself.

Photography & Production: Lorena.Art - Lorena Gheorghe

Camera Fairy : @andreeadin

Muse: @la_chanti_wx / Ashanti

BTS: @relly.gheorghe / Mom :)