During February I was given the opportunity to shoot the cover for the March issue of Oi Vietnam Magazine. A location for the shoot was quickly identified and scouted, the atmospheric Villa Royale Tea Rooms and Antique Shop in Saigon's District 2. The theme of the issue was to be "sweet things to eat in Saigon".
We needed a model and luckily the beautiful Rachel Cabakoff signed on for the project. Wardrobe was arranged from a local designer, Thuy Design House, and we were good to go.
The shoot got off to a bumpy start when, arriving 15 minutes early, the owners guard dog woke up half the neighborhood and the owner and our host for the morning. Hair and makeup was done in a cabana overlooking the Villa's swimming pool, another tough day at the office, and at 8 am we started the shoot.
Thankfully the session went smoothly and without a $20,000 Ming Dynasty vase being accidentally smashed on the floor. A selection of images were delivered to the client the next day from which one was eventually chosen for publication as the March cover.
The four "fiinalists" are below. Grab or download a copy of the magazine to find out which one went on to become the cover.