Bachelor Contestant Marissa May

Nikon D3 - 160th at 2.8 , ISO 400

Every time I see my friend Marissa, I think of pop star Justin Bieber. No, she isn't Canadian, sing/dance or even date Selena Gomez. When I first met her, she was working as a public relations handler when I got to ride a roller coaster with Justin and take his photo.

Recently, Marissa was chosen to be one of the contestants on the 2011 season of ABC's The Bachelor. This marks the first and only time I actually watched the show. After she was eliminated in episode 5,  I stopped watching. (I think Marissa may be too normal and sane to be a reality tv star!)

Since she has come back to Florida, she has a need for publicity photos. I was more than happy to help her out.

My idea was to have her walking on water. I have seen many gorgeous photos like this, and I knew exactly where to do it. My home in Avalon Park has a lot of water, and this one particular retention pond looks like a giant lake, I knew that it would be beautiful at sunset. My friend Mike built the entire underwater platform himself and submerged it. It was surprisingly stable! When Marissa got out there, we just lit her with a Profoto 7B and a beauty dish.

I need to thank my crew. This would not have been possible with out them!

Michael Smallwood - Grip

Ana Rivera - Hair/ Make up- www.beautespeciale.com

Tammara Kohler - Wardrobe - www.fusedfashiononline.com

UPDATE: Here is a link to Marissa's blog where she talks about the shoot.