THE
MOMENT
Featuring DD, photography by Lauren Baxter, makeup by Etti Perez, styling by Megan Bloxsome.
‘The. Moment’ photographer Lauren Baxter took the time to talk to TYG about the featured shoot and how she and her team created the powerful set of images.
TYG: Hi Lauren. Please tell us about the idea/concept behind the shoot.
Lauren: When I started putting together the mood board I wanted to make sure the looks really suited DD as well as reflected my style of shooting. I was on DD’s Instagram to better understand her unique style and the essence she embodies. I wanted to create a look that resonated with her vibe while also elevating the concept into something memorable and powerful.
DD has a great vibe, and she gave me a goddess tribal feel, which is an area I wanted to explore for the shoot. The idea was to capture an "aura"-themed look—one that would showcase her power and radiance.
Collaborating with Megan, we brainstormed how to infuse headpieces, abundant jewels, and strategic lighting to emphasise this aura. The vision was to have light cascading behind DD, creating an ethereal glow to reinforce the concept of ‘goddess’ and ‘aura’. I trusted Megan’s keen sense of styling to elevate the concept beyond what I had imagined, and she certainly achieved that! Working with Etti as the makeup artist brought an added layer of confidence; she consistently goes above and beyond, transforming makeup into an art form that amplifies my vision. Together, the team brought this concept to life flawlessly.
“ I wanted to create a look that resonated with her vibe while also elevating the concept into something memorable and powerful.”
TYG: Where did you get the inspiration from for the shoot?
Lauren: The inspiration was rooted in DD’s energy and overall aesthetic. Her vibe sparked the initial concept, and through research on tribal and goddess visuals, combined with the idea of ethereal auras and opulent jewels, the vision solidified. I started exploring goddess inspiration on Pinterest, which led me to finding so much inspiration of the lighting for the shoot, different ways to style the idea as well as make up inspiration to showcase the powerful look. It’s insane to think that we nearly ran out of time for this look, and we were debating whether we really needed to add it in. We were all so happy we made it work in the end as every time the image came through on the laptop we were in love, it was the strongest look we did!
TYG: What was the model like to work with?
Lauren: DD was a dream to work with—her energy lit up the set, making the entire experience seamless and enjoyable. She brought such a dynamic presence that resonated with everyone on the team, infusing the shoot with excitement and creativity. I would absolutely love to work with DD again!
TYG: Did you direct her much?
Lauren: Not much direction was needed with DD; she instinctively knew her angles and how to bring the vision to life. Her confidence and natural ability made selecting the final images difficult—she looked stunning in every single shot!
“…her energy lit up the set, making the entire experience seamless and enjoyable.”
TYG: What was the rest of the team like to work with? Have you worked with them before?
Lauren: I’ve had the pleasure of working with both Etti and Megan before, and they are super talented and creative. Etti and I clicked straight away from our beauty shoot with Isabella. We both have a huge passion for beauty and our styles just compliment each other so much, we have so many more ideas for collaborations and I can’t wait to do them! Her attention to detail and creative flair ensure that each makeup look enhances my vision perfectly. Working with Megan is just a dream, the energy she brings on the set is unmatched, she is the best hype woman and makes us all feel confident! Me and Megan have actually been close friends since University and Megan had expressed to me how she wanted to get into styling and creative direction and I really wanted to support her in this. I love how she brings the ideas to life and she thinks about every detail. Megan is great to work with as well as she goes beyond styling, she’s on set collaborating with how the hair and makeup is going to look, giving her ideas that will match the styling as well as what colours I’ll be shooting on, the lighting and angles to bring it all to life.
Behind the scenes on ‘The Moment’ editorial