Christa Graziano had the best shoot ever, 6 looks all in one day.

I’d never been more excited for a shoot as I was with this shoot with Christa. One, I haven’t been on set with her for a shoot in almost two years. Two, this was for my 2012 IMTM Swimsuit Calendar. Three, I knew Christa had been working out like a beast, and she’d be in spectacular shape. Again, was able to have Ice Box Studio, Genevie and 1st Class Imagery involved.

To begin, wanted to get some shots that could be integrated into a designed background. This way I’d have multiple options for the eventual cover that will appear on the finished calendar to be released April or May of next year. So I arranged to shoot at Christa’s condo. Had Genevie meet early to get her makeup and hair done. Christa had like a million bathing suits, so we also picked out what she wanted to wear.

After Ice Box Studio arrived and Christa picked her first swimsuit we were ready to begin. But as the first test shots were snapped to check lighting, I noticed Christa was doing something I’d never caught a model doing before (video coming soon:)

The one thing i knew I didn’t have to worry about with Christa was how long it would take to go from one swimsuit to another. She’s a professional. But I still had a few ideas to throw at her, she executed them flawlessly. Before you knew it, we had shot 3 swimsuits in less than 40 minutes! After a fourth, we decided we had enough shots and was time to head to beach.


After we finished the shots at the condo, we traveled to Virginia Key. I’d never been there before, so it took a minute to realize the causeway we were driving over was the one used for the Bad Boys movie. It was a nice day out, tho it was just a little bit windy. I took a few pics and video. With a great job of makeup by Genevie and her body pretty much perfect, we set out on a long afternoon of shooting.

What we ended up doing was shooting some of the swimsuits we shot at the condo plus a few extra. So that way we not only had shots for calendar but also some shots that Christa could use personally for submissions, her portfolio, etc. Our location had multiple settings that we shot on or against. Christa even found a buoy (I think she named it) to shoot with. There was a raccoon out there, but he looked kind of hungry so we left it alone.

BTS Christa Elise from Phillip Michel on Vimeo.

You never fully appreciate the work that goes into putting a shoot together until you have to do it. For the fact I’ve been attempting to put a calendar together for four years and finally being able to do it is a huge deal. To have Christa featured is special. She is one the most dedicated talents I’ve worked with and has a bright future ahead of her. Here is a bit of the DVD that you will get if you buy a copy of the 2012 IMTM Swimsuit Calendar!! You’ll get more of idea of how much fun we had, Christa’s personality, and why she is a talent to look at for years to come. I will add an edited pic or two from the shoot to this article soon, so stop by periodically.

Visit “Events” on the homepage to get info on how to reserve your copy of the calendar!

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