Hello there faithful followers of the colorful world of Dylan’s Candy Bar!

Ever wonder what it’s like to go behind the scenes at a “Vogue” cover photo shoot?

Me too.

I’ll keep you posted when that becomes a reality.

I can check off my bucket list, however, being a part of a Dylan’s Candy Bar photo shoot! (Which, in case you are wondering, is just as important as Team USA on the cover of this month’s “Vogue” if you are a candy addict like me.)

Summer Catalog Photo Shoot in Central Park!

This was my first photo shoot, and I spent the days leading up to the shoot geeking out about everything from pulling candy and accessory samples from the Dylan’s Candy Bar store on Third Avenue and 60th Street, to making sure that our models were on board and knew all the details.

Finally, the day arrived and as I excitedly carried two dozen brightly colored balloons down the crowded Manhattan streets accompanied by Ren, our photographer, who wheeled our bike, I was probably beaming with excitement.

Our small but mighty team comprised of six playful art & candy lovers – 3 models, our photographer, our art director, and me! We certainly added color on site at Central Park. If our arms stuffed with bags of candy didn’t draw enough attention, our bike filled to the brim with flowers and balloons certainly did!

When the models arrived early in the morning, we went right to work dressing them in Dylan’s Candy Bar’s colorful new summer apparel and setting up the theme for the day – a day with friends in the park. The picnic food we picked out looked so good, it took all our willpower to save it for the shoot.

We had so many lovely model submissions for our casting call contest that it was hard for our team to choose, but we settled on three fun-loving girls with completely different looks to be the faces for our 2012 Summer Catalog.

Our three models were so much fun to spend the day with! They helped carry bags upon bags of colorful clothing around the park, and didn’t flinch when we had them change outfits in our makeshift towel dressing room. They were so professional. I’m not sure that I would have been able to pull off such a stunt in such a confined space.

Sam and Katelyn help Katie make a quick wardrobe change between scenes.

Samantha Jaikaran, one of our models, was so enthusiastic all day long. She kept us going with her energy and bubbly personality despite the long shooting hours outside in the sun. Not to mention she loved carrying the balloons.

Katrina Brown, another one of our lovely models, is also a dancer! She wowed our team with her grace and poise throughout the shoot. I hope some of her incredible dance shots make it into the catalog. They were jaw-dropping.

Katie Klausner, our third model, is a graphic/packaging designer who uses candy and candy colors as her primary inspiration… right down to the dessert-studded shoes on her feet! Katie was constant inspiration throughout the shoot just through her own personal colorful style.

From a picnic, to splashing in a pond and riding a carousel, I can’t think of a more fun way to spend a Friday afternoon!

Wondering what happened to the balloons after the shoot? We handed them out to wide-eyed little kids who were more than elated to take home the colorful, helium filled treasures.

The team from left to right: Katelyn, Katrina, Sam, Ren and Katie. Mayumi, our dedicated team leader, isn't pictured. (She took the photo)

Are you excited to see more colorful candy magic when our summer catalog comes out?

I sure am! I will surely keep you posted.

As we prep the photos and start working our catalog magic, we want you to get started dressing yourselves like our models by checking out our new summer apparel at www.dylanscandybar.com, following us on Twitter and liking our Facebook page.

xoxo,

Katelyn

[The ever enthusiastic] Copywriting Intern