SKB and the Adventures of Photo Shoots

If you read my last blog post about the July 2 pictorial produced by me, directed by model Moxie, and featuring herself and JT as models, you know that sometimes shooting in any public place can provide disruptive adventure to go along with the "real life" vibe of my photos. 

The inappropriately irate sunbather on the rooftop of The 500 Fifth disrupted but did not ruin our photo shoot on Independence Day weekend. Moxie and JT worked through the situation well, and we captured the looks we wanted, both with the Adam & Eve theme and beach ball fun too.

For some reason, some iconic places in downtown Nashville do not like guests taking formal photo shoots. Schermerhorn Symphony Center has posted signs forbidding photos of their building. As an attorney, other than prohibiting folks on their property from taking photos (trespassing), I know of no legal basis for such a prohibition. But when I staged a photo shoot at Walk of Fame Park across the street on June 18, I made a point to keep the Schermerhorn out of view as much as possible.

It seems that venues would want people to take pictures of their beautiful buildings. But some prefer control over publicity.

When SimoneKnowsBest responded to my "call for models" advertisement and came with boyfriend Derrick to interview, I knew a return to the historic and upscale Hermitage Hotel was in order. My original feature model Shiann posed at the Hermitage in December of 2019, including in the iconic men's room at the lower level bar.

Additionally, an article in The Tennessean praised the recently completed renovations at the Hermitage. So we immediately made it a part of our plan. Simone a/k/a SimoneKnowsBest a/k/a SKB overcame some minor car trouble and arrived with Derrick in a marvelous summertime pink party dress outfit.

During the late afternoon hours of July 9, we slipped into the Hermitage and downstairs to the bar and the awesome men's room for the first part of the shoot. But when we scooted upstairs, a manager admonished me that "we don't usually allow for photography unless you have permission". So I quickly finished up inside and found some cool pink patio furniture on the sidewalk on 6th Avenue North. 

Simone stayed graceful following this minor glitch and hopped back into a ride share to go to my favorite spot for a photo shoot - Dream Hotel Nashville. Dream management has been very gracious to me during the past 2.5 years and has supported Cloud Nine Higher on social media and given me permission to photograph promotional models basically as much as I want. But we still kept a low profile at the elevator mural, the "RIOT" logo in the back hallway, and "The Climax" stairwell. 

The front bar at Dream currently has a popup Havana theme. So we captured some awesome shots there before proceeding to the swimwear portion of the shoot on the rooftop of The 500 Fifth. SKB was ready for more, so we went back to Dream for a combination of swimwear and denim shorts at the Havana bar, "The Climax" stairwell, and Snitch Printers Alley down the back stairwell.

In short, the effort was well worth it. Simone is hella sexy and has a personality that is a perfect fit for my brand. Her boyfriend Derrick played football for a time for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The two met in high school and have a YouTube channel Simone and Derrick.

SKB graduated from La Vergne High School in 2013 and UT-Chattanooga with a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice (minor in business administration) in 2017. She was a cheerleader and softball player for the La Vergne Wolverines. She states that she is a "pretty dope" beauty influencer with positive energy and definitely presented as advertised for this photo shoot. Always willing to help others when she can, she strives to keep negativity out of her life.

She began her life in West Paducah, Kentucky. When at the bar, her drink of choice is Tequila and Sprite with an orange and Yellow Red Bull. She counts Maggiano's Nashville (where I worked as a server from 2006-2009) as one of her favorite restaurants.

SimoneKnowsBest showed her stuff and posed for a stunning photo shoot. My promotional model program is blessed with momentum at the moment. Look for SKB to appear in front of my cameras again.

James A. Rose

Publisher