STORIES FROM THE SET: BEHIND THE SCENES OF WALKER

Welp. That’s another one in the books! We’re infinitely proud of this catalog, but whew boy – the Walker shoot sure tested our strength and stamina.

For starters, this was simply a big, long shoot for one catalog/collection. For the sake of the models’ schedules and everyone’s sanity, we really try to get in and out in two, two-and-a-half days. For Walker, we shot a full day in Ft Worth, two days in Yoakum, and shot e-commerce (those fabulous photos and videos on white you can view when you’re shopping DDR online) in between.

It’s always a team effort, but more and more as of late, it’s becoming a family affair. Of course, there were the usual suspects: the McMullen sisters and Mitchell, but this go round we had the help of Jack (who, in fairness, is also around for most if not all) and Harris, Audrey’s youngest son and newest member of the hands-on crew, and even Cheryl’s youngest Sam lent a helping hand this time. Let me tell you, having a little extra brawn and that young gun energy makes a world of difference – especially when they are, quite literally, the workhorses of the shoot.

That’s right, with no horses to hitch our wagon to, we relied heavily on the strength and sturdiness of the McMullen grandsons to pull that covered wagon for several hundreds of yards at a time -- with their fearless matriarchs digging their heels in and pushing from the rear! We truly cannot overstate how hands-on the head honchos of DDR are when it comes to photoshoots. (Remember when Audrey had to carry a mattress down the main road in Sweet Home?) Next time you get to thinking, ‘Oh it must be so glamorous to be on a photoshoot!’, just picture this!

Speaking of that covered wagon – can you even with that set up?! We did a Q&A with her recently about her role on the Walker shoot, but we would be remiss not to give Carla Curry another HUGE shoutout for the way she brought a Wild West cattle drive to life in the middle of an open field. She is an absolute master of her craft, and the authenticity she brought to the scene provided a whole new level of editorial integrity. Plus, she had a cute little cohort tagging along – Miss Tinka made herself right at home in any lap that would let her (which was everyone’s).

Other guest stars on this shoot: our new Ft Worth faces, Leigh Ann Prokup and Tracey Uranga, who got to see how the sausage is really made, as well as lifelong DDR darling, Sealy Vest. Of course, Ms. Lisa Martensen was there working her magic on our beloved beauties, Kaylin, Lozzie, and Quisha – dolling them up and dabbing their sweat!

Yeah, that’s right, always the plight of a photoshoot, capturing collections in their opposite season. Good grief can Texas get hot in June! But while the weather might not have been ideal, the locations sure were. Shooting at Cheryl’s ranch in Yoakum was not only editorially appealing, but it adds so much ease to a shoot when you’re close to home base – you can call in reinforcements! And don’t even get us started on Fort Worth. The Stockyards is such a photogenic background and setting that our main struggle there was narrowing down where to shoot. You can bet your boots we’ll be back there soon – and often!