I’m a firm believer inspiration can be found anywhere, even from required high school reading.  F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novels are arguably some of the most sordid of all assigned texts in high school English.  Scandalous and glamorous, the flappers of the 1920s epitomized the loose morality, decadence and overindulgence of a privileged class.

It’s always fun to shoot portraits with a theme.  For this Gatsby inspired session I wanted to create a specific atmosphere; a tawdry environment, thick with cigarette smoke, where morality is left at the door, where the desires of the imagination are no longer suppressed but rather given center stage.

I’m not alone in my love of jazz clubs, pulp fiction, vintage clothes and burlesque showgirls.  I came across this amazing set of siblings in Austin, Texas.  Kierstin and Sabra JohnSin are two of the city’s most popular burlesque performers and models.

Sabra brings the audience to a frenzy whenever she performs  in her white feathered fans and gold high heels.

Big thanks to Kierstin and Sabra JohnSin for their creativity, boundless energy and irrisitible beauty.