Live Out Your Mermaid Fantasies in a Shipping Container Pool Studio

A mermaid caught in a shipping container tank!

Story, modeling, styling and video by Cassie Hepler, photography by Brian Delfin

Let me tell you a tail (tehe) about a little girl who always pretended to be a mermaid, swimming under the pool ladder to explore a new world. And my oh my, how many of us there are out there I learned shortly after this photoshoot with Photos by Delfin! It all started on a sizzling summer day in Phoenix, Arizona when we went to go shoot Monie Jae Boutique fashion photography at The Arizona Biltmore. We were probably heat exhausted after a full day shooting and didn’t even know it but Brian literally lay on the floor for a couple hours while I kept dumping electrolytes in his water. The slug fest moved over to my couches at some point and we began watching that documentary MerPeople on Netflix. We both said to each other, I always wanted to do that. And so it was about a year later! Little did I know what I was signing up for but I do know that I can do anything if I put my mind (and in this case body) to it. It’s a good thing I started really focusing on my fitness in the last couple years because that is most full body workout I’ve ever had in my life!

But first we’ll start this story where the day began, at the beautiful Topanga Beach next to Malibu, California. It was the closest and most private area with a beach to shoot next to Van Nuys (next to the private airport) where some of my homies were graciously hosting me for the week. Brian scooped me up in the morning and so we began our great Los Angeles adventure with free street parking and our bags (and mermaid fin) packed for the beach!

We found the most perfect nook to create content to the right of the outdoor showers and were close to the edge of those big Malibu mansions where we had an owner taking photos of us while we were working. Hello random stranger if you see these pics! Soon I was rolling around in the sun, surf and sand – in my happy place with a mermaid tail that Brian had to help me maneuver into place each time I would take it off. The bottom opens up to put in the monofin where your feet tuck into little sock-like scuba material.

Fins up for some test shots first! I dyed my eyebrows brown for this photoshoot and had only the basic of makeup on like lip stain as well as some fake eyelashes with a tinge of purple.

And in no time, we were slaying these fishy poses.

Just a mermaid looking at an approaching seagull.

A mermaid sunning by the surf and covered in sand – as it should be!

My full mermaid tail in all its glory. I searched the internet far and wide and landed on Fin Fun Mermaid as the best brand. I probably could have gotten away with a Large size tail but did an XL just in case – and it was on sale!

Getting used to wearing a mermaid tail and modeling it is awkward as you’re thinking about your normal posing angles but then you have this tail on! We soon learned that stretching it out long looked best.

A mermaid rocking a scoliosis scar in Malibu! I also liked how this memaid tail blended into my naturally pale skin more than the others.

Pretty sure I was wet and covered in sand and kelp here but having a blast!

After a shower and restroom refresh, we walked to the far left beach by the rocks.

I tucked into this rock and the water put on a great show for us!

Having a blast every time the water came rushing in to our frame! Did I mention I love the beach? And only a slight sunburn afterwards, a new record for me!

A standing mermaid about to grow legs! You can see where the tail has velcro closures here to seal in the monofin.

We were booked at FD Photo Studios in downtown Los Angeles so we had to pack up our gear (and mermaid fin) and be on our merry way! Fortunately traffic was on our side and we had time to swing by the Circle K for a snack, this mermaid was hungry. The next portion of the shoot required a LOT of energy. I mentally prepared myself for this and did not have time to practice beforehand so was literally winging it – or finning it? So with a big, frothy fountain soda, sandwich and a family size bag of peanut M&Ms we were off to the coolest photo studio around! Here’s a video of us walking in and a little bit of me modeling in the tank below. We also tried out a fish-eye GoPro my fellow blogger hooked me up with which was also all new to me. Add in mermaid tail to the water and what a new to me experience literally all around! Minus the swimming part, I knew I would be solid because I was a lifeguard from about 15 in my hometown to about 20 in college. But using your whole body – and every muscle in it – was a whole different story!

In the Olympic 1 studio, they keep the water temperature at a nice 86 degrees and is filtered between bookings. As you can see in the photos and video, it was pretty clean and they use chlorine which does irritate your eyes after a while of opening them underwater. With a two hour minimum booking, we booked for four hours to give enough time to eat, rest, breathe and actually enjoy our photoshoot. It is quite a full-body and lung workout so certainly give yourself grace to catch your breathe. We started with no extensions but I brought them along just in case and was pleased with the way the water played with the hair underwater as we kept shooting.

Into the shipping container pool tank with my natural hair.

Then I put the extension on and felt more like a mermaid.

Staying underwater was harder than it looks you kind of have to push yourself to the bottom and float up.

Also posing with a tail and not being able to see outside the tank just into blackness was surreal. My view from inside the tank is in the below video.

Probably one of my top three favorite photos from this mermaid photoshoot. It was giving Ariel vibes! Fitting the tail in that window frame was tough too but we did it.

Pushing my mermaid self to the bottom of the tank.

We switched the lighting to blue and this is giving deep sea vibes. At this point I plastered myself to the back of the tank to see more tail.

A capture mid-swim across the tank we tried that for a while.

A spooky shot under the water. I think at this time my eyes were starting to protest the chlorine.

On my way up for air from the side window which was way smaller.

From the top of the tank, we were about spent and I was just happy to float.

But first I had to splash Brian with my tail… my menacing face!

And that was a rap! I still can’t believe we had such an epic photoshoot day.

Since the tank window was cutting parts of me off but Brian had sequenced the timing so well, he was able to create composites stitched together which I love!

And swimming in the other direction in the clear lights!

There were so many questions after this photoshoot first being why? What for? My answer is and has always been for the sake of art and why not? I have a newfound respect for all those professional mermaids you see in fancy tanks like Las Vegas or Florida. Those are athletes through and through. The next day I woke up and every single muscle in my body was sore – but in a good way. I simply worked from home, then rested and was as good as new the next day. But only because I have been strength training and also training to climb and hike for over a year. If you’re a newbie and you simply want a tail and to swim in a swimming pool, grab a waterproof phone case and start there. Move up to the GoPro next and hire a professional photographer when you have a good grasp and live out your mermaid fantasy! The kids in your life will love it too.

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