The Women Behind the “Flashes of Delight” Filter Names
When A Color Story reached out to me a couple of years ago to create a filter pack, I was immediately on board. This was my dream project. Editing iPhone filters is a therapeutic hobby of mine. One thing people would be surprised about is I don’t use the same filters for all photos and I don’t use only one app for all my edits. I enjoy bouncing around and trying different ones. I also like different apps for different types of edits (but more on that in a future post).
A Color Story was already well-known for its poppy, colorful edits, but it didn’t have filters that were muted and soft. That’s my jam. Muted pastels are my favorite (you can see them on my Instagram feed). I knew right away I wanted to make a collection of filters that were super soft and had hints of a colorful undertone. So, some are pinker (Cassidy, Brigitte and Elodie), Solange has a purple undertone, Jayne’s is blue, and Evelyn is a soft cream. I can do a detailed breakdown of these in another post if you guys are interested. Today, it’s about the names. I sometimes get asked what inspired the names of my filters. Like most of my inspiration, it has to do with women.
The Flashes of Delight filters are named after women who are inspiring to me in my real life or as icons to me. Past or present, these females have inspired me in some way and I wanted to pay tribute to them through my filter pack.
BRIGITTE
Brigitte Bardot is a mega babe. I’ve been saving pictures of her for years. Her style and beauty are iconic, and all of us have probably tried channeling her hairstyles at some point. The Brigitte filter has a heavy pink overcast to it. It’s incredibly feminine.
SOLANGE
I’ve admired Solange Knowles for quite some time now. Yes, we all love Beyoncé, but there is something about an underdog that is much more interesting. A few years ago, Solange started to pave her way. Her style is unique; her Instagram is unique; her artistry is unique. How can you not fall in love with that? The Solange filter is a soft purple because I feel a little like Beth from Almost Famous here, but Solange, your aura is purple!
VALERIE
That very adorable woman on the right of this photo is Valerie. She’s also my mom. I owe a lot to my mom. She’s incredibly giving, thoughtful and devoted. She always puts her family first. She also shared her love of photography and style with me. One quality that my mom has now, even into her 60s, is the belief in herself. She’s always dreaming of her next project. Whether it’s painting, gardening, or writing, she’s good at everything she puts her mind to. The Valerie filter is very soft, muted and has a white cast to it. Like having your head in the clouds.
JONI
Joni Mitchell’s music pulls on my heartstrings. If I’m feeling down, I often find myself putting on a Joni record. She’s also a woman that is uniquely her own. The Joni filter is black and white. It’s my only black-and-white filter in the pack. It’s not dark and moody; it has a lightness about it. It’s optimistic and straightforward.
CARRIE
There was a time in my life where I felt so deeply connected to Carrie Bradshaw of “Sex and the City,” it was unreal. Although I’m pretty sure, many of us have had those phases. Whether it was her wit, style, or choice in men, we loved, admired and related to Carrie. The Carrie filter is the brightest of the pack with more contrast. Shiny and fabulous.
AMÉLIE
There are some songs, books, television shows, and movies that hit me to the core. The film Amélie hit me hard. I clearly remember seeing it with my dad (my forever film buddy) and leaving the theater, telling him that I was still swept up in the magic of the movie. Has that ever happened to you? You can’t shake a film. It’s like you stepped into it and are still running around in the fairytale. Amélie’s cinematography, music, color, and quirky story about two dreamers were my ideal film. To this day, it’s still one of my go-to's and the character of Amélie is one of my all-time favorites. You would probably assume the Amélie filter has a green cast, but I went with a warm orange. You can see this color throughout the film in some of my favorite scenes. See some examples here, here, and here.
JODI
This is one of my favorite photos of my sister, Jodi. It's an outtake from her getting ready to be a flower girl at our parent's wedding. I feel like it's out of a Sofia Coppola movie. My sister is a light in my life and always supportive and kind. I'm always in awe of her and her strength. The Jodi filter is bright, sharp and has a slight blue hue.
CASSIDY
Cassidy is light, pink and airy — named after my best friend who radiates kindness and joy. We bonded over our love of pink, travel, motherhood and french fries. She is a light in my day, and her filter is the same. It instantly lifts and warms you up.
ELODIE
This girl. My girl. Elodie. She’s a vivacious spirit. Full of warm energy and spirit. I’m incredibly inspired by her and her passion and love of life. I can’t wait to watch her grow and change the world! The Elodie filter is pink with a warm golden glow.
JAYNE
Jayne is my beautiful mother-in-law. She’s creative and kind. She puts 100 percent into everything she does. She’s an ocean girl, so the Jayne filter has a hint of blue that reminds me of her.
EVELYN
This is my late grandmother Evelyn. She’s one of my biggest inspirations. I feel a connection to her. We share a lot of similarities. She was a quirky lady. She was very into fashion. She always had her hair curled and colored red. She only wore black or white. Even camping, you would find her decked out in all white with a fabulous hat and her favorite clogs. The Evelyn filter is muted and a hazy white.
TORI
This magical, sunshine woman is Tori Hendrix. She was a friend of mine that passed away from cancer a couple years ago. She was truly a ray of light. She was one of the very first people to team up with me on Glitter Guide and created fun photo shoots with me. She believed in me before I believed in me, and over the years we would work together on creating shoots that we were inspired by. They were often over the top, but that’s how we liked them. Tori was a fearless and vivacious woman who traveled the world and wanted to do big things. Her favorite color was yellow, and now it always reminds me of her. The Tori filter is golden, warm and yellow.
SOFIA
Sofia Coppola is one of my biggest role models. I love her unique and very distinctive aesthetic. Her movies always top my favorites list. Her soft, muted pastel world truly inspires me. The Sofia filter is soft, clean and grey.
LOLA
Lola is a special name to me. It’s my great-grandmother’s name and also my grandmother’s name (although she goes by Inez). I swear my future business will be named Lola. It reminds me of family and the strong women role models in my life. This photo is of my grandmother and my mother. It’s so special to me. The Lola filter is crisp and has contrast.
