Carly’s vision for the fall issue was filled with dreamy, ethereal effects. But we also hoped for a final cover photo that would communicate a sense of depth and sincerity. We knew early on that we wanted a horse on the cover, and with that in mind decided on Sasha and Nikki Slivinski for the models. They have modeled for Carly before, and the established comfort level between the three was going to be important. We wanted to make every effort to create an atmosphere for the photo shoot that would be soothing to the horses. Even though the girls are riders and comfortable around the animals, we thought Hercules and Storm Chaser might be wary of them, especially with the intense eye makeup and the smell of hairspray.
There had been some fear in the weeks prior to the shoot that we wouldn’t have access to the horses, but with the days to deadline slipping into single digits, it all came together like a dream come true. Our friend, Kathy Danowski of Beauty with Kathy, had already offered the gift of airbrushing the dark fantasy makeup Carly had designed. So we were thrilled when Kathy told us she might have a connection at the stables near her home. She had met Angela Benard, riding Hercules on the trails in the local forest preserve, and was now in the habit of putting a carrot in her pocket for the dignified grey horse when she went walking. Because both Kathy and Angela are estheticians, they had a comfortable acquaintance, and when Angela heard our story she invited us to do the shoot at McCarthy Farms, where she keeps Hercules.
So on the day of the shoot we all converged on Beauty With Kathy with our cases, cameras and garment bags. None of us had seen airbrush makeup being applied before, and Kathy was so much fun to watch that we lost track of the time. We were still pinning dresses and fastening jewelry as we climbed into the car. We needn’t have worried about the horses being relaxed around the girls. Angela’s horses were comfortably curious and they seemed to be highly entertained by the strange new people there at the stables that afternoon.
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