To start off the new year I choose a special photo shoot taken out in the Spring Mountain Range with a very fun and very flexible young woman, Taylor. Taylor was full of spunk and really had a wide range of posing techniques which made for a wonderful and unique shoot. Besides her obvious beauty, she had very special talents including an ease at doing the splits! I was thrilled to capture her amazing ability to be so flexible.
Before deciding upon the perfect rock for her to ease into her split pose, we hiked around a bit in the Spring Mountain range. So many beautiful spots to pick from to create our images. The ideal location depends on several factors. It must have the perfect light for whatever the mood we are trying to capture, it must have an interesting backdrop that will fit into the theme of our shoot and it must have a spot for the model or models to fit into the frame for which I want to shoot them.
Taylor had such a vibrant and wonderful spirit about her. I wanted to be able to capture this in images to highlight her wonderful qualities. Chatting for a bit gave me some time to examine her energy and spirit a little more and I could see what style of backdrop I knew would enhance her more accurately and creatively.
Her ease into the splits blew me away! She was so comfortable at easing into this pose. She is in shows on the Las Vegas Strip for high end productions. This explains her fitness level and amazing abilities. I was having a wonderful creative time working with Taylor and getting the best images possible of her.
The interesting rock formations and tiny cave like erosion made for an interesting backdrop. As she posed in the many wonderful ways she felt comfortable in, I walked around her to get the best angles and images. It was incredibly fun and interesting to work with this model.
At the spot we choose to shoot in, we noticed a lot of hikers trekking up and around the steepness of the gravel road. We were at the base of La Madre Springs trail head. This trail must be very popular because there were a lot of people attempting the trail. At the end there is a little water and stream to enjoy. We were shooting at the bottom of this trail and there was some water around the area barricaded by wire and a small casual fence. Because of the natural spring, animals are around at all times to enjoy a cool drink of water. A great spot to take in the wild life.
One thing about being around a natural spring, there is a good chance to see green in the area. Green is a special find when you are living in the desert. I don't mean the kind of man made green like on a golf course, but rather a natural little oasis. Seeing these types of Eco systems is very precious and delicate to this type of desert terrain. Many types of wild life survive around here because there is this small little natural water source.
Wrapping up our shoot was a wonderful opportunity to get some great portraits. After hiking around for several hours, exploring the valley a little and doing a bunch of level 5 type yoga poses, mellowing out around the cool evening air became the perfect setting. We managed to get some amazing portraits and head shots. Taylor was amazing at the shoot and I am so pleased with the results we got. Her flexibility and great inner spirit really translated well into the finished images.