In a vow to remember as much of my Viva Las Vegas Pinup Contest Experience and to be able to share this experience with other women, I’ll be keeping a blog in the lead up to the big weekend in April!
So here’s to the first post! Let’s see how I go at sticking to posting regularly!
Being a judge’s pick for the VLV 20 Pinup Contest is such an honour and one I am so incredibly grateful for! This is the third time I have entered the contest and it’s been a dream of mine to have the opportunity to be involved in any sense for numerous years now. My partner and I had already planned and booked our trip to the USA, so I was excited already and being chosen for the comp is definitely the sweetest cherry on top!
Pinup has become such an important part of my life that has really aided me in growing into myself. I know that comment might sound incredibly wanky, but it’s true! Having a platform that encourages being and challenging oneself has been really beneficial and has played a pivotal role in sharping the woman I am today. I’m so excited to meet other women from all over the world who share this passion!
In this post I want to talk about my amazing experience shooting with Sherbet Birdie who are the talented bunch responsible for my entry photos this year.
Shooting with Sasha and Lucy has been on my pinup bucket list for over five years since first seeing their work. In 2016, I decided what better a reason to finally treat myself than to shoot my entry photos for my third attempt at scoring a very special spot at Viva!
For anyone tossing up whether to indulge in a Sherbet Birdie shoot package, the only answer is YES and you’re about to find out why!
Sasha’s service (and Sasha as a human) really is second to none. In the lead up to the shoot, you have a wonderful phone call together where you can talk about your vision for the shoot and Sasha can ask you a series of questions to get to know you a little better and to prepare you for the shoot. You immediately feel as though you know and love this woman irrespective of whether you’ve actually met in person as of yet!
Sasha, Lucy and Luna greeted me with open arms when I arrived at the studio down in Sydney after an early morning rise and flight. Then the fun began!
As someone who shoots most weeks, it was so lovely to actually pop my feet up and be pampered. I didn’t have to worry about whether my hair was going to behave, whether my winged eyeliner was even or if my false lashes were going to stick. I just sat back and let Lucy the expert have at my hair and face! Wonderful! This woman tamed my locks like no one ever has. I still can’t believe it’s actually my hair in the shots!
Did I mention I was munching on Sydney’s best macaroons and sipping Moet while all of this was happening? Are you sold yet?!
Getting down to the actual shooting with Sasha was so much fun. She knows how to make you feel comfortable and really capture you having a good time and being yourself. She’s mastered the art of those little tweaks that turn an okay shot into an amazing one and it made selecting my favourites very difficult…because they were all good!
Seeing the final results, I was totally over the moon and so happy to have achieved something I’d been dreaming about long term. I was super excited to finally release them upon entering the contest.
I had the entry date marked in my diary and was one of the first ladies to submit my entry form and photos. The entry remained open for a little longer than previous years and it was exciting seeing the pool of perfect pinups grow during this time! I checked back every few days to see the gorgeous new additions and felt myself getting more and more excited with each day that passed. Being added to the entrant group on Facebook meant all entrants could all have the pleasure of getting to meet one another online and start getting to know each other. I found this really wonderful and special to be interacting with other women from all over the world who share a common interest and love.
Once entries closed, it certainly was an anxious wait! No doubt it was an incredibly difficult decision for this year’s judges, who had to choose just five out of around 180 entrants who were all stunning. The 6th lucky lady is actually chosen by all of the contestants which I think would be such an incredible spot to own, knowing how much the other ladies appreciate you already! This year it went to the gorgeous Boston Bombshell (who I’m yet to meet but already know I’m gonna like cause she is just one lovely doll!) Reading the profiles of these gorgeous women makes you realise the amazing stories they all have to tell and the successes they have all achieved. Such an amazing bunch!
We all waited, closing watching our inboxes for the email Rockwell had been telling us to expect! What seemed like an eternity was only a day or two of constant email checking!
It was a message from Australian pinup pal Ivy Fox congratulating me that alerted me to the fact I was somehow, one of the chosen ladies in the top 6! I couldn’t believe it! Checking the email for myself I then swung around in my office chair and exclaimed to my colleague that I was one of the lucky ladies! This day shall forever be known as “Viva Day” (as not a lot of other work got done after the announcement!)
I was truly blown away by the beautiful messages of congratulations and encouragement from people here in my local pinup group. It’s these people that put their faith and belief in me and assist me to have the same faith and belief in myself (something that often, isn’t an easy task for me). I consider myself very lucky to have so many people supporting me and it really showcase the amazing relationships and friendships that have come into my life since pinup did! I think back to the first pinup/rockabilly event I attended and I knew no one…it’s a stark contrast to attending these events now and that to me, is what it’s all about.
Now comes the fun and excitement of knowing I’ll be attending my first international event where I’ll have the pleasure of shining on stage with 11 other beauties from across the globe in an even organised by one serious boss lady whom I truly idolize: The amazing Miss Rockwell DeVil . I can’t wait to meet the beautiful five ladies also in the top 6: Lily White, Radmila Rocky Zombie, Miss Lillian Love, Daria Tarasova and Boston Bombshell and am excited to see who the other beautiful ladies will be to make up the top 12!
Don’t forget: There is a pool of babes waiting for your votes, as the remaining 6 places will be determined by public voting. Go and vote for your favourite pinup lady
here! Stay tuned for my next post and thanks for reading!
