A KALTBLUT exclusive. Photography by Leigh Ann Cobb. Model is Meave Young. Hair by Krystle Wavio. Makeup by Josh Theil. Leigh Ann Cobb is an American photographer who before the pandemic was most inspired by the people she would collaborate with on her travels. Then in early 2020 the lockdown brought on lots of empty space.
“I will be the first to acknowledge that the alien concept is a bit played out,” she confesses, “But it’s a theme I couldn’t get away from when living through the sci-fi-like experiences of the past two years; and then two months before shooting this editorial the US Department of Defense released an official report on the existence of Unidentified Flying Objects(UFOs), and I can’t think of one time I heard anyone talk about it. There were too many other pressing matters to discuss. How wild is that?” The same month the UFO story broke The White House reported plans to combat rising gun violence, and amid vaccine hesitancy, indicated that the nation will miss its July 4 partial vaccination goal just as the Delta variant began to present a serious challenge in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic in the US and worldwide. “There were moments where all I could think is ‘just get me out of here,’ but really the thing I wanted most was to reconnect with my creative community and focus my energy on something constructive.”
Going Up? was planned and executed in collaboration with a local, fully vaccinated team wearing masks during all preparations. “We did not want our need to create outweigh our responsibility to our community to limit the spread of Covid-19, so all safety precautions were taken in every step of planning.” The location for the shoot was chosen for its proximity and atmosphere, which until recent years was a manicured golf course. The restoration of the landscape is bringing about long-term substantial improvements to water and air quality in the nearby city where the team resides. “I walked here a lot in 2020 and 2021,” Leigh Ann said,“seeing nature reclaim a previously manipulated landscape was really restorative. I wanted this shoot to be as much about sometimes-wanting-to-get-out-of-here as it is a celebration of those people putting in the work to make this world a better place. Without the efforts of those empathetic people Earth would be void of humanity.”
Photography by Leigh Ann Cobb / website: www.leighanncobb.com / Instagram: @leigh.ann.cobb.photo
Wardrobe Styling by Antonio Deville / Instagram: @antoniodeville
Hair by Krystle Wavio / www.krystlewaivio.com / Instagram: @krystlewaiviohair
Makeup by Josh Theil / www.joshthiel.com Instagram: @jt_mua
Modeling by Meave Young / Instagram: @kingmaeve
Wardrobe Assisting by Jess Colvin / Instagram: @jess.colvin
Set assisting by Maxwel Harmon / Instagram: @maxwelharmon
Photo assisting by Isabelle Golczynski / Instagram: @isabellemays
