Double Editorial...

Shot by German photographer Bela Raba, the photos were used for two very different magazines. Point of View appeared in the December 2018 issue of Moi Ostrov, a fashion magazine produced in Cyprus geared towards Russians living in Europe. You can see the entire spread starting on page 36 of the digital issue.   

Cyprus Hill appeared in the February 2019 issue of Spectr, an international eyewear fashion magazine for opticians and eyewear enthusiasts. You can see how the same photos were presented differently starting on page 200 of its digital issue. It was definitely a great way to finish her on-stay in Greece. By the time she got back to Athens on Saturday, she only had enough time to grab a quick meal before Jimmy had to head to the airport. Ashlynn enjoyed another two nights of partying with her model friends and then it was time for her to come home as well.

Behind-the-Scenes and End Results...

The following day Ashlynn had a short shoot, another of which she never got the photos from. The next day, however, was a double editorial shoot from which she got tons of photos. It was also her first shoot with a male model, who just happened to be from Amsterdam. They were picked up early and brought to a nearby empty villa. 

It was very cool that many of the crew members posted behind-the-scenes photos. I love seeing the process...

...as well as the end result. 

The make-up was quite natural.

As you can see, this shoot was all about the glasses. These were Ashlynn’s favorite...

....but they didn’t make it into the official shot.

From this angle, Ashlynn’s outfit looks quite conservative...

....but the reality was quite different.

On the Catwalk in Cyprus...

Timing is everything in life and it turned out that Sophie’s was good, but Jimmy’s was bad when Ashlynn found out that she would be flown to Cyprus for three nights. In Sophie’s case, she would only have to entertain herself for one afternoon before she flew back to Holland. However, in Jimmy’s case, he was arriving in Athens for a conference the same morning that Ashlynn left and would be spending those three nights in her apartment without her. 

It was exciting that for the first time Ashlynn was flown and put up in a nice hotel for a job. Everything was arranged very last minute so she didn’t get confirmation until 9 p.m. the night before that a taxi was picking her up the next morning at 5 a.m.

The first big event was an evening of fashion shows in honor of the 100th issue of Moi Ostrov, a magazine for Russian expatriates living in Europe. These first two outfits were for Natargeorgiou, a duo of Greek/Cypriots fashion designers.

This outfit was designed by Ramona Filip, a Cypriot luxury wear designer.

These two photos were captured off of a video, which explains why Ashlynn looks a bit like an avatar.

She also wore Prada in another show for a local shop that sold a variety of designer brands.

Temple of Apollo...

Built in 520 BC, the Temple of Apollo would have had 11 columns on the longer sides and 6 on the shorter ones.

 

Most of the temple was torn down in the 4th century AD because it was deemed idolatrous, but somehow one column survived.

Afterwards we wandered through the shopping area of the city...

...and along the port.

Temple of Aphaea...

I had planned on taking the bus across the island to visit its most famous ruins, but the bus didn’t run very frequently off season. Instead I splurged on a taxi to take us to the incredible Temple of Aphaea, dating from approximately 500 BC.

Apparently it was dedicated to the mother-goddess Aphaea, associated with fertility and the agricultural cycle.

On the drive back, I asked the driver to stop at the Church of Saint Nectarios, one of the most widely known Greek Orthodox Saints.

I assumed that the scaffolding inside was for renovations, but apparently the church hasn’t been completed yet.

We were thrilled to find a table at the water’s edge for lunch.

Ashlynn would have been happy to spend the rest of the afternoon in this spot...

...but I wanted to walk over to the Temple of Apollo.

Off to an Island...

Ashlynn had the entire weekend off, so we set off on Saturday for Aegina, the closest island located just 17 miles (27 kilometers) from Athens. First we had to take the metro to Piraeus Port, which was easy to get to, and buy ferry tickets. We thought that the older gentleman who offered to bring us to the correct dock worked there, but turned out he just wanted a tip. Was definitely worth it though as the port was not easy to navigate.

We took this “flying dolphin” hydrofoil which took only 35 minutes to get to Aegina, which was half the time of a traditional ferry. 

The seats were very comfy and despite the windows being pretty scratched up, the views were great.

I particularly liked the paintings on the far side of the port.

The port in the city of Aegina was beautiful with crystal clear water.

Despite not being born under a water sign, Ashlynn gains energy just by being near water.

Graduation Trip to Kavos...

While we were in Poland, Ashlynn flew with most of her year group for a week in Kavos, a seaside village on the Greek island of Corfu. Her friend group chose to stay together in apartments away from the main tacky strip of nightclubs. She enjoyed spending a lot of time in the pool.

Her group of six girls lucked out as their apartment had a kitchen which they hadn’t paid extra for.

Although you can’t tell from this photo, Ashlynn said the nearby beaches weren’t very nice. She was disappointed that none of the other girls would join her when she walked one afternoon to a secret beach with some of the guys. She said it was beautiful, but didn’t have her camera along.

 She clearly got some sun.

They went out clubbing most nights. Ashlynn thought the clubs and the music were pretty crappy compared to what she’s used to in the Netherlands.

On a very scary note, Ashlynn’s drink was spiked on her first night. Luckily her friends realized immediately that something was wrong and took her straight home where she fully recovered. I was so relieved that the girls were there for her as things could have taken a very dark turn otherwise.

Santorini...

The most picturesque part of the week was a one-day trip to Santorini. It’s no surprise that Veronica managed to capture some wonderful shots.

Their group was fairly small with just five guys and four girls along for the two-hour ferry ride.

They had a guided tour which included this black-sand beach and several towns. They were in a bit of a rush, so had only ice cream for lunch.