Dec
Legend says it was the Queen of Sheba who first believed in the mystical qualities of the Dead Sea. And Cleopatra is thought to have been so in awe of the area’s magicality that she built the world’s first spa there. With legacies as special as these, and with dazzling views in an otherworldly setting, we couldn’t think of a better location for RiniKini’s spring 2018 swimwear photoshoot.
The Dead Sea
Located on the border between Jordan, Israel and Palestine, tourists flock from all over the world to marvel at the Dead Sea. It’s the lowest point on earth (sunk 1,412 ft below sea level) and the panorama it provides is breathtaking. So stunning in fact, that we don’t mind starting the day of our beachwear photoshoot at 4:45am – temperatures already high at 36 degrees.
As the sun comes up, its first rays cast an ethereal soft light all around, giving the Dead Sea’s unusual green waters and shoreside salt deposits a very special aura. It may be early, but our team can’t wait to get shooting…
Salty hair – I don’t care!
After Cleopatra built the Dead Sea’s first spa, she took its salt back to Ancient Egypt where it was used in skin creams, soaps and many other early-century beauty products. These days, it’s used to help treat everything from acne and psoriasis to skin inflammations and arthritis. Some people even claim it’s a great anti-wrinkle cure! But as healing as the salt may be, it creates a pretty hard surface for our bikini model, Lalli Acco, to work with. Lalli puts on a brave face and manages our shoot like a pro, but we know modelling on the difficult ground isn’t as easy as she’s making it look – this is definitely no white sandy beach.
At 6am the light at the Dead Sea is amazing – the horizon blurs completely and the sea melts into the sky. It’s soothing, relaxing and very spiritual, making a pretty extraordinary backdrop for bringing out the bright colours on our crocheted RiniKini Eva Floral Bikini.
We climb higher up…
During these magical early hours, we manage to shoot four different bikini styles, but as 8am comes around the temperature climbs past 40 degrees and it starts to feel unbearable. In search of a breeze, we decide to drive a few miles up the coast to where the desert meets the sea. At this height the view, the colours and the textures are like nowhere else in the world.
Using the Dead Sea and its never-ending skyline as a backdrop, we shoot the Maya Triangle Handmade Crochet Bikini. The blue, azure and aquamarine shades in this boho-style bikini set off brilliantly against the horizon, and we love how the Dead Sea’s shores spread out serenely in the background of the shoot.
The palms
As we’re leaving the sea – and just when we think we can’t get any more lucky with our locations – we come across a luscious wood of palm trees. This is nature in its wildest form: no sun beds; no cocktails; no holiday beach bars, just a majestic grove of trees rising upwards out of the earth.
The palm trees in this region provide a bounty of exotic fruits including figs, olives, pomegranates and dates. Inspired by the botany, as well as the dappled lighting and natural colour contrasts, we can’t resist taking some photos of our Alexi Triangle Handmade Crochet Bikini and Karlie Bralette Handmade Crochet Bikini swimwear styles. Both designs symbolise harmonious living with the natural world and feature soft, organic pastel shades which offset brilliantly against the blue sky and green fauna provided by the palms.
The desert
There’s one more stop before our shoot is over and as the sun hits a top temperature of 46 degrees we venture inland to the Judaean Desert for a final celebration of contrasts, colours, textures and scenery.
Against a bright, arid background of blanched soils and structures, our RiniKini 2018 bikini collection stands out in a wild new way. It’s a brilliant finale, and we leave the desert wilderness amazed by the variety of brilliant landscapes we’ve been lucky enough to work with in one day.
Over the coming weeks we can’t wait to share more of this fantastic shoot, as well as RiniKini’s 2018 swimwear collection, with you. Stay tuned to the RiniKini shop, as well as our blog, Facebook and Instagram for exciting news and pictures. And if we haven’t already convinced you, you should totally book a holiday to the beautiful Dead Sea!
Much love,
Rinat xx
