The L.A. Circus opened their doors to offer unprecedented access to Penthouse for a special shoot. Our Guest Creative Director was the world renown “Godfather of the Modern Sideshow” Jim Rose, who has curated the most intriguing and enthralling sideshow performances in the past 25 years, and has toured with stadium filling acts from Marilyn Manson to Guns N’ Roses. I had the opportunity to scour through the tents, warehouses, and prop rooms at the Riverside headquarters of the LA Circus in order to gather some of the most fun and interesting wardrobe, statues, circus wagons, carts, and ticket booths to add to the project – including the Ferris Wheel!
Below are page screenshots of the Penthouse editorial which appeared in the January 2016 issue, with Christiana Cinn on the cover. Afterward, I’ve added some of my own faves from the shoot including some fun “behind the scenes ” photos. The models involved were Sarah Jessie as “The Ringmaster,” Sydney Smith as “Giraffe Girl,” and “Kelly Shibari” as “The Strong Woman.” This editorial and issue also received tons of extra press including Cosmopolitan Magazine for Kelly being the first plus-size woman ever featured in the pages of Penthouse. I was honored and grateful to be chosen as the photographer for this shoot, and had such an amazing time “running away with the circus” for the day!
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Models Sarah Jessie, Kelly Shibari, and Sydney Smith