I recently did a photo shoot with my friend Nadia Beeman called Concrete Jungle, and here is the first look in the series! We are so happy with how this project came out, so I wanted to share what sparked the idea for this photo series. Look out for parts 2 and 3 in future posts.

Los Angeles is a favorite city of mine, partly because of the amazing weather and exciting energy I get from the community there, but mainly because I get to see some of my best friends whenever I visit. Near Nadia's apartment in Echo Park is a deserted pool covered in graffiti that we pass all the time. One morning while driving by, the following phrase came into my head: "out of a concrete jungle, a flower grows." It was loosely based on Tupac's poem "The Rose That Grew From Concrete:"

"Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature's law is wrong it learned to walk with out having feet. Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams, it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else ever cared."

That sparked the idea for this photo series. Nadia represents a delicate flower that grew out of her rough surroundings in a concrete jungle. She's soft, yet tough; newly born, yet flourishing in her natural habitat. I hope you enjoy our collaboration!

Photography/Creative Direction: Miranda Stephenson

Styling/Creative Direction: Nadia Beeman