At the end of July, I went up to Frisco, Texas with the awesome team from Money Magazine. Our assignment was to shoot the front of a home, one that I had location scouted the week before, to feature on the cover of their annual 50 Best Places to Live Issue. That’s right folks, Frisco, Texas is the #1 place to live in America, according to Money Magazine.
I brought in hanging ferns and flower boxes, and tons more plants + throw pillows and lots of lifestyle elements. The photographer, Joe Schmelzer, shot - and I styled - a straight on, front of the house and yard version, with the homeowner’s yellow lab and son traipsing across the well-manicured lawn. Next, we shot a tighter version of just the porch. The photo editor, Sarina Finklestein, suggested that my dog, Curtis, who was hanging out with us that day, get into his doggie bed and chill out on the porch. So about two shots in, with a sixth sense that all dogs are born with, Curtis perked up and bolted off of his doggie bed, just as the fern, hanging right above his head, came crashing down on top of where he had been laying! I figured his chances of making it onto the cover were fairly low, what with his short-lived time on set, but I was super excited when Sarina emailed me a couple weeks later and told me that they were choosing the version with Curtis on the cover! In other words, Curtis nailed it! Proud mama moment over here when I heard that.
So - if you happen to see a copy out in the wild, let me know. I grabbed what I could at Barnes and Noble, but Curtis has some hard core fans still waiting for their signed copy!
Curtis makes his cover debut! And notice the sweet dove bird on the back railing. She had laid her eggs in the potted planter on the back railing and she wouldn’t leave our set, although she seemed VERY concerned.
Left to Right: Nora Schneider, Sarina Finklestein, Joe Schmelzer, Stephanie Bohn, William Philpott, Daniel Huffman