I first met Nena in Las Vegas. We were both at the annual FreedomFest conference where we were volunteers. It was at this convention that the first “Ladies of Liberty Alliance” (aka LOLA) meeting was held and I began traveling around the country to take pictures of ladies selected to be in their debut 2010 calendar. I can’t even begin to express just how excited and thrilled I was to be asked to contribute to this project. Such a cool opportunity to stretch myself creatively and work with a group of women I really respect.
A few months after that first meeting, I was on my way to Washington, DC to take Nena’s photos. Since all the shots were to express some kind of freedom and liberty theme, she decided to sport the Gadsden flag with the words “Don’t Tread on Me” proudly sprawled over her bikini on the front grass of the Capitol. I LOVED the idea and applauded her boldness. With camera in hand (and a deep breath) we headed out to do her photos. The shoot went off without a hitch, despite our slight fears that we might be asked to leave. Oddly enough, we were never stopped by any security, only gawked by them through their binoculars from the steps, which of course had us rolling with laughter.
Nena is such a sweetheart. During the trip, she just opened up her adorable home to me and, since I’d never been to DC, toured me around like an old pro. We even went to the national archives where we saw the Bill of Rights and US Constitution. Very fitting considering the whole theme of the trip. I really want to thank Nena for her genuine kindness and fun-loving spirit. I had such a good time working with her and am happy to have made such an awesome new friend.
XOXO
Rita Q
PS: This is the first of a bunch of posts I’ll be making from the LOLA calendar shoots, so stay tuned. And if you want to get your own printed copy of the final calendar, visit www.iamlola.org.
Here’s the shot that was selected for the calendar. Isn’t she just beautiful?!
And here’s a small sample of some of the other shots we took. Just look at those baby blues!
The LOLA ladies rock!
Thanks so much, Nena!! You’re such a rock star!! It was so much fun doing your shoot and I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to know you love the final pics and the experience. Love ya lady! xoxo – Rita
I’ve worked with a few photographers but Rita is the best! What she didn’t write was that this was my second photoshoot for the same picture. For the first ones were with a different photographer, the lighting was a bit off and none of the pictures were particularly flattering. Rita flew in from Austin and bless her heart, all of her pictures were phenomenal. And they are exactly what I wanted. She told me what to do in order for a good picture, and she slightly altered a couple of things that I didn’t want in the picture (blurring a wrinkle never hurt anybody!). And she tried a few different color schemes which was very cool. Thanks Rita for the fantastic job. Highly recommended!