Armchair Transcendent
PHOTOGRAPHER: Douglas David
INSTAGRAM: @the_last_soul_rebel
MODEL: Isabella Gabriel
INSTAGRAM: @isabellagp7
About this shoot
“Will it go to a good home?” I contemplated the question. I was looking at a recliner in the driveway of a nice older lady in her bathrobe. I gave a smile and a nod. “Yes ma’am. Yes it will.”
So we had a recliner. But, what to do with it? A few thrift store trips later it had come together: It would be a complete living room, transported, . . . somewhere. Problem. The Camp fire devastated towns up north and blanketed the entire Northern California with hazy, suffocating smoke. So, we would go to the coast, and head south.
Pescadero California was mostly clear. We arrived. The smoke was much better and created this extraordinary, orange sunset. The beach was deserted. The light was perfect. We set up the living room and began to shoot. Problem. A couple cars arrived in the parking lot, then more. Mini vans. Teens got out, and adults. There were suddenly 30 people on the beach. It was some sort of camp or retreat or something. Everyone was arriving to see the smokey sunset. Isabella was almost topless. We had minutes before the sun would be gone. They weren’t leaving. Weeks of planning. We weren’t going to be able to do it.
But, it was a long, long beach. We just needed a little space for both of us to focus. So we headed south again, this time on foot. Have you ever carried a recliner 300 yards over sand? It’s fun.
