With Rio 2016 here, we are very privileged to be able to be able to present to you this exclusive editorial by Jospehina Carlier featuring Croatian Swimmer Matea Samardzic and child model Lola Franco.
Scroll down for a little Q & A with the photographer.
JS: How do you know Matea Samardzic?
JC: I know Matea Samardzic as my children are on the same swim team (Scarlet Aquatics). Matea is such a nice girl from Croatia who currently lives in Jersey City because of her swimming training.
JS: Where did you get the idea for the shoot?
JC: I thought it would be fun for Matea to participate in a photo shoot before she takes off to Rio this month. Her best event is the 200 backstroke. (Matea was just recently placed 3rd in this event at the European championships in London).
Lola Franco is a professional kids model, who i shoot all the time. Lola loves sports and is a great athlete (especially in soccer), so when I decided to shoot this with a child as well, Lola automatically came to mind.
JS: Sounds like the shoot was a lot of fun. The pictures are amazing. How did Matea manage to fit the shoot in to here busy training schedule?
JC: I only had one day to shoot Matea as normally she has swim practice in the evening right when I wanted to shoot. It was a beautiful week leading up to the shoot day but the day itself had a horrible weather forecast. I was super stressed because I couldn’t cancel or postpone it as it was the only opportunity I had to work with Matea. As we got to the location, a rainbow appeared right over the NYC skyline. Good omen! We worked fast but the thunder storm did hit us but also added great skies to the shoot. We all ended up having a great time.
JS: We wish Matea all the best in Rio 2016 and look forward to her races!
All the swimwear worn by Lola is from Submarine Swim. The Submarine designer recently started a new sportswear line for women which is fabulous-great quality and amazing details, which is called 9two5fit and Matea is wearing their designs.
Credits;
Photographer – Josephina Carlier
Stylist – Deidre Rodriguez
Hair & makeup – Clelia Bergonzoli
Photo assistant – Griffin Wagner
Models – Matea & Lola