charity | Eric Hason Photography, New York

I was excited when I was contacted by Melanie Holland to help produce a fashion photo shoot promoting Elephantasia.

Elephantasia is a fashion event organized by Gabby Wild benefitting the Wildlife Conservation Society and raising awareness to stop the slaughter of African Elephants. The event will be held on Friday May 30 at the Central Park Zoo featuring a fashion show of over 50 designers of sustainable clothing. The donation to attend the event starts at $96, one dollar for every African elephant slaughtered each day.

Gabby Wild is a student of veterinary medicine at Cornell University. She is a tireless spirit who created her foundation to save and sustain wildlife around the globe. I am inspired by her energy, ethos and dedication!

With only one week to produce the shoot, I brought on

set designer Cooper Vasquez to help with creating and executing a concept.

We emailed images for inspiration conjuring the feel of jungle and savannah. Renting a hand painted backdrop from my friends (and next door neighbor) at Oliphant Studio along with begging, stealing and borrowing tires,
folliage, and a fog machine, Cooper pulled his magic creating simple, elegant sets that perfectly complimented the clothing and theme. I was astonished we could create and shoot 4 scenes in the 5 hours allotted on a Saturday morning.

Our beautiful and elegant model Mireille Van Der Wees from Elite Model Management created a stunning tableau for the photos.
Hair and makeup courtesy of the Alex Anthony Salon, Manhattan.

I am pleased to share some of the images we created! It is wonderful when my fashion photography can help with a greater good!

Gabby and Mireilla pose for a portrait.