80s Ladies OBX Weekend Chronicles

Preface: I Heard a Rumor of Rebranding

Chapter 1: Preparation and Planning

Chapter 2: Plot Twist (Tainted Love)

Chapter 3: Be Kind and Rewind Chapters 1 & 2

Chapter 4: Lending Hands (Live Aid)

Chapter 5: Dress Rehearsal

Chapter 6: Fast Forward (Like a Mix Tape)

Chapter 7: The 80s Ladies OBX Weekend

Chapter 8: Just Desserts, Candy Girl

Chapter 9: Home by the Sea

Chapter 10: Don't Stop Believin'

Chapter 11: Pump Up the Volume

Chapter 12: Back to the Future

Prologue: Next Time, Ladies?

Postscript: Parting (is such sweet Sorrow) Weekend Images

Preface: I Heard a Rumor of Rebranding

Now that we'd filled our website gallery with many more images,

we were talking REBRANDING for 2024...

because Everybody Wants to Rule the World!

And Joye had the brilliant idea to invite our high school friends

to the OBX for a photo shoot/girls' weekend

to puff up our website with more galleries!

Chapter 1: Preparation and Planning

The invitations went out and we had more bodies than beds at the beach house we'd chosen (our friend Eddy Kitchen's The Kitchen Salt House in Southern Shores, NC). We just planned and planned: we sent electronic questionnaires getting details about sizing, food preferences/allergies, and which decade they thought fit them best for their themed shoot. We got permits to photograph on Jockey's Ridge and at Manteo's Elizabethan Gardens, hired a local OBX makeup artist, Hunter Cierra, to prep the ladies on shoot day, and spent hours choosing the right decade for each lady, then chose outfits, accessories, props and backgrounds. We ordered 80s glam swag bags with our logo for each of them with 80s themed gifts, a Daisy Lane coffee mug and a Northeastern High School t-shirt for a last day group shoot!

Chapter 2: PLOT Twist (Tainted Love)

Creating an intensely busy schedule of styling, makeup and shooting for that weekend with our final number of TWELVE, yes 12, ladies (still not enough beds, but some were willing to sleep on air mattresses just to be there) was a TIME CONSUMING labor of LOVE! It was so hard saying "no" to some of the gals who missed our deadline and then WHOOPSIES! FOUR of our confirmed gals dropped out at the last minute, all on the same day. So we had to make some serious lemonade with 'dem lemons. Couldn't get new ladies, too late ... Do you know how much of a God-thing it was that the dropout's outfits already purchased and in-hand fit the gals still coming?!? Plus now we had enough beds, and more than enough work, if we were being honest. All was working according to a better Plan than we could have imagined!

Chapter 3: Be Kind and Rewind Chapters 1 & 2

Groundwork

(or Boots on the Ground)

Did we mention yet that all of the planning we'd been doing all those months included our sitting down together weekly, sometimes for 2-hour long calls, discussing the looks for each model (which we choose in order to have control of the galleries)? We researched outfits and finally came up with a style and outfit for the ladies: 80s lady, 50s lady, the bohemian flower child, the sexy red dress Marilyn and the beach goddess.

Foundation

Did we mention we'd created a really cool questionnaire, including an 80s mix tape they could listen to while they filled it out, gathering all their measurements for the outfits, as well as food preferences and allergy needs? And we asked them all to bring their own outfit choices just in case timing allowed shoots of them in their favorite looks. Once the gals made payment, we secured their model release and contract then sent them a sneak peak of their special themed outfit

(see some of these pics above)!

Shoo Fly (in the Ointment) Don't Bother Me

Did we also mention we weren't willing to lose galleries when we lost a third of our group! So THANK GOD, He knew what was going to happen, all the outfits for those 4 fit PERFECTLY on our other ladies! We didn't lose a single part of our vision...and we fit them into our schedule precisely where the others were scheduled! This felt like good practice for client issues which might arise later!

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Chapter 4: Lending Hands (Live Aid)

Abbie Mullins Gross

Second shooter/bts extraordinaire

Part of our plan was to include our daughters, Abbie and Heather, in the weekend as helpers:

makeup, styling and second shooting - BIG TIME needs for all we had planned!

Heather's schedule was jam-packed with work and school, so she couldn't make it, and we missed her,

but Abbie committed to being our second shooter and BTS (Behind The Scenes) Extraordinaire.

And we could never have done it without her...

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Our makeup artist

Hunter Cierra

aesthetician/makeup artist/hair

Hunter was referred to us by one of our 80s Ladies who lives in the OBX...

Hunter offers many services through her salon,

Style Divita.

For our purposes, she did a fantastic job making our ladies look glam and beautiful.

Thank you, Hunter!

Chapter 5: Dress Rehearsal

A trip to Tennessee for Debby was required

(similar to the one where she went for Cades Cove magical fairy photos)

for this Dynamic Duo to "practice the weekend":

view outfits with accessories, props and backgrounds,

put together swag bags, etc.

ONCE AGAIN, Debby descended upon Joye's home

with an entire car load of STUFF.

We set everything up as though it was the actual weekend,

vetting out any potential problems, as much as possible.

Did we actually put on the clothes and jewelry and gloves and shoes and purses and headbands and glasses and crowns?

UMMMM YES!

That's what a Dress Rehearsal is!!

And That's What Friends are For!

Sidebar -

as besties do, we still made time this trip to socialize with Abbie and scope out potential Knoxville spots for shoots, including Downtown and the cutest little shop, Alice in Appalachia.

Chapter 6: Fast Forward (Like a Mix Tape)

With the weekend fast approaching, even with all the prep, we got so nervous -

but also so excited to see our friends!

Debby and her hubby, Charles, were going over to the OBX a few days earlier for some R&R

then Joye and Abbie were joining a couple days before the ladies would show up.

We'd planned a couple of individual shoots for Debby, too, because why not?

She loves having her picture taken and being in the spotlight.

Also a couples shoot for Charles and Debby

(you can see more about this story in our Spill The Tea story section of our home page).

Being in the spotlight + Charles = Not so much.

He thought we'd grab a couple pictures then move on

so Debby had to give him the heads up that it would be the longest 20 minutes of his life LOL!

But he embraced the idea with Open Arms, ending up being

a Magic Man and giving us some great poses and shots!

And Joye captured their romance Faithfully!

The second shoot with Debby was, well, eventful!

Planned the same day the ladies were arriving,

the timing was admittedly Urgent with the ladies driving in that afternoon.

We won't get into all the deets, we never spill ALL the tea,

but let's just say there was something about a missing SD card still in a computer ...

and a swift half hour of Abbie and Debby holding back a flying dress

from a RAGING wind on the beach until we could start shooting.

(OK, it might not have been THAT dramatic lol)

But once again, in 20 minutes time, the MAGIC HAPPENED!

We think you'll like these...

Chapter 7: The 80s Ladies OBX Weekend

And then it was ON!

Ladies arrived, hugs abounded, bags were dropped in rooms and wine started flowing.

Our first night we got caught up in Celebration by sharing our stories and photos from the past 35 years.

Tonight, tonight, tonight we ate, drank and were merry

for the next day we would be WORKing for the Weekend!

Beddie-bye came earlier than our old high school parties at Florida Road,

but Come On Eileen, we all woke up refreshed and ready to go - sort of!

Our makeup artist, Hunter, arrived at 7am and we were off and running...

each gal had her slotted time in makeup, styling and props prep before her session.

Considering this was the first time they'd put these clothes on,

we Wanna Dance with Somebody that everyone looked AMAZING in their themed outfits!

Shoots began, makeup and styling continued on schedule, and all was running smoothly -

we thought for a Super Freak minute we had gotten behind, so we had to Jam On It,

but even in the midst of the hottest Eternal Flame and most Nasty humid day

on record for September in Southern Shores,

we got the Jump and were actually ahead of schedule!

Every lady brought their own outfit,

and with the most Under Pressure schedule of all schedules on a SINGLE day,

our team managed to secure NINETEEN galleries that weekend!

Debby had it Just Like Heaven inside where it was Cold As Ice

overseeing styling and prop prep, as well as keeping makeup on schedule.

Joye and Abbie were Super Troupers and sweated out half their body weight during the outdoor shoots,

where the sun dropped the heat like a Sledgehammer!

But When the Going Gets Tough they always push through and get some AWESOME shots!

SEE FOR YOURSELF!!

Carmela - 80s Lady

Reading her Teen Beat with Rick Springfield on the cover, surrounded by balloons, in her jeans jacket, Keds and bobbie socks and poofy hot pink skirt, she's on the Edge of Seventeen!

Madonna gloves, Rick and a huge smile with all that roller kissing potion gloss! She knows how to Express Yourself!

Our Butterfly

Complete with butterfly glasses, headband and jewelry, Carmela has always lifted our spirits and has metamorphosed in the past 35 years into an even lovelier woman than the Sweet Child O' Mine girl she was in high school. Girl Can't Help It!

Choosing a pretty green top to compliment her aqua/green capris, she could be ready for in-style clam digging or a Valley Girl brunch on the town!

Yvette - Bohemian Child

Our bubbliest lady, Yvette was a shoo-in for our 60s wild child, with her Groovy Kind of Love...she does indeed bring the SUNSHINE!! And the daisy background, anyone?? Daisy Lane Images, hmmm??

Full of life, but that HAIR!!! We remembered this beautiful asset from high school and were inspired to find pretty things for her to wear in it - what was more perfect than daisies?

Thank you for a funky time, Funky Cold Medina!

Southern Belle

We were captivated by the True Colors choice Yvette made for her personal outfit - she's lovely in this saturated deep coral! It made it so easy to capture her natural beauty!

Girlfriend was putting Debby out of a job as stylist with all these accessories, so well done! Her gorgeous face is framed so nicely by her cute hat and thick, beautiful braid. The earrings, the bracelets, the necklace, oh my!!

We think those eyes are saying Call Me!

Jenny - Country Cowgirl

Perhaps she's modeled in the past and just didn't tell us? You can't GET a bad photo of Jenny! Every Little Thing She Does is Magic! She showed off those big, beautiful, hazel-brown peepers and won the camera's affection.

At Elizabethan Gardens in her second outfit, she came out of her shell when we mentioned her hubby - a little leg kick for you, Sean! She showed us What's Love Got to Do with it...

Our Garden Picnic Lady

A few accessory changes later, and we had a fresh new look - and Jenny didn't stop giving us great poses and smiles. Jenny, you Open Your Heart with every shot and were patient with us as we blew bubbles all around you, too!

Rather than use her own outfit, Jenny chose one from among a plethora of outfits Michele brought with her! Great choice, you look MAH-velous dahling! We think she's Waiting for a Star to Fall...

This one!! Joye told her to put her head down and when she flipped it up, to think "I'm fierce"! Janet told us this moment was spiritual for her, she believed it and in herself and we believe it and in her every time we see her face in this photo!

She experienced

The Greatest Love of All!

Janet: Updated 80s Lady Look

Our goal was also to try new creative ideas with these ladies - Joye wondered, "How Would I Know how it would look to have one of them hold a book and let the pages flip?" Well, she nailed it...

Joye got some terrific expressions

out of this complex soul.

We've been Waiting for a Girl Like You! In her natural state, this beauty loves being outdoors, comfy and casual. She gets the idea, though, of what is needed in a photo session - accessories tell more of your story! How cute is she using the piling on the dock to sit on?

Cute as a Button

Somehow, Janet, you exude absolute beauty and adorableness with Every Breath You Take - but it takes a talented photographer to find and SHOW that!

Mi Amor, Michele,

our Marilyn

Legs for days, anyone? Modeling comes so easy for this beauty, and She's A Beauty inside and out. She added what the gazebo in the Elizabethan Gardens needed to POP!

Dripping in diamonds, our Glamorous Life girl finds the poses we could only dream of... taking a tree growing in two directions and turning it into a perfect pose. A perfect blend of glam and nature...GLAMATURE! That's our girl!

Water baby

Michele loves the water and has a special affinity for sea lions - though there were none here on this canal, you'll find her in spots like these most of her days...she'll save whoever and whatever she can with her enormous heart. These are her Don't Worry Be Happy places!

"PALLIES!" See their story in our Spill the Tea Sessions storyboard about Michele and Janet.

They are our group's anchor and butterfly, showing us how to stand steady and how to fly. We're Mad About You!

This shoot is when the rain storm finally broke after an unusually, incredibly hot and humid September day. We kept saying Beat It heat! Beads of sweat gave way to raindrops falling on our heads...setting us up for our final shoot on the beach.

Our Jenny from the Beach

Full of energy and ideas, and an excellent model and easy to put into ANYthing...Jenny instinctively knew where to take us for the best shots...in the pretty light by the window...and to the outdoor shower for a Centerfold boudoir shoot we can't show you in our blog! Our Lips are Sealed!

Our Glamour Girl soaked in the sun once the storm clouds and rain passed us by. Giving us the perfect shining sun to capture her gold accents shaded by her giant white beach hat...this classy lady made us So Emotional!

Sexy Beach Babe

The storm ran everyone else off the beach, so the empty area gave our beach gal lots of freedom to express herself. This Pleasure Principle shoot frees the soul, allows you to stretch out your arms in the sun and embrace your inner beauty!

A beach dweller, Jenny feels most comfortable au naturale...swimsuit, wrap, barefoot, hair whipping in the wind. Our surf girl showed us how to Relax and gave us images to make us dream of summer, Vacation, boogie boards, beach umbrellas, coolers, the OBX.

Chapter 8: Just Desserts, Candy Girl

After a hard day's work, we were Hungry Like the Wolf,

so we jumped in our Fast Car,

and we wined and dined on delicious grinds right on the water

at Miller's Waterfront Restaurant at sunset - Chef's KISS on My List!

Chapter 9: Home by the Sea

There was something In The Air Tonight, so we made the most of our evening,

since Girls Just Want to Have Fun and we Love Rock and Roll, chilling and talking,

looking at photos from that day's sessions All Night Long and shouting Take On Me

when playing games, like Twister, then realizing we're not as flexy as we used to be!!

All except for our winner Jenny Jenny 867-5309,

who could still Bust a Move and had sweet dance balance on the Twister floor!

We all still did Push It, though, we pushed it real good!

Chapter 10: Don't Stop Believin'

The next day after a quick breakfast and packing up,

we gathered outside for a final photo shoot as a group of NHS 80s Eagles.

Abbie had become so much a part of our group, she'd been named an honorary Eaglet

and took all of our West End Girls shots for us.

The Hot Mess Express was almost over

and we would go our Separate Ways into a Blue Monday When Doves Cry.

Chapter 11: Turn Up the Volume

There was no denying how much help PYT Abbie had given us during the weekend...

We asked for her feedback and suggestions moving forward for other events like this,

and she was FULL of ideas!

And we're not Throwing It All Away!

She actually gave us some terrific suggestions for our website and social media posts,

and it was ALL her idea we begin Petography and FREE End-of-Life Sessions for pet parents.

If the NHS ladies could make her an honorary Eaglet,

we could do one more and make her a partner, she'd EARNED it!

So now Daisy Lane Images is a Partnership of THREE!

As Debby began the arduous work of rebranding our website WHILE

Joye did the arduous work of editing NINETEEN photo shoots,

we took headshots of our growing TEAM!

Chapter 12: Back to the Future

So then we got our behinds in gear and spent the next month editing images,

creating a new website, sending sneak peeks to the ladies,

adding galleries to our updated site, creating advertisements with their images

and handling a Total Eclipse of the business of rebranding officially on January 1, 2024.

This is why you see so many shots of gorgeous,

vibrant 50-something ladies in our ads, social media and our site!

They are our STARS!!

A huge shout out to The Kitchen Salt House for offering such well-appointed, spacious accommodations for our beauties to sleep and socialize

and prepare for their photo shoots.

THANK YOU TO OUR MODELS

Jenny H, Carmela, Michele, Janet, Jenny C and Yvette

We could never have pulled off such a spectacular weekend without the most amenable LADIES, in the truest sense of the word. You and this weekend are forever in our hearts!