Floral Fun Part One
It all started with one goal in mind - to explore Mount Falcon Park with a couple of beautiful models who had the same vision as me. I have been seeing this recent trend on socials where women are having topless portrait sessions with only a bunch/bundle of flowers covering their chests. I loved the look of these sessions so much that I decided to do a Model Call and bring this need for creative collaboration to life.
I first put the obligatory Pinterest board together of all the inspiration I needed to confidently start planning this photoshoot. Once I had an idea of what I wanted to try and create, and I already knew the location I was going to shoot at, I just needed a couple of models who were interested in doing a TFP (Time For Photos/Prints). After taking a couple of screenshots from my Pinterest board and posting a story on my Instagram with a model call, I was able to get 5 people to reach out showing interest in the photoshoot -YESSS!!
Finding Katrina Luke
One of the 5 women to reach out to me was Katrina Luke - Kitty. As a current college student and aspiring model, Kitty was immediately excited and eager to collaborate - which I welcomed with open arms! I emailed her the information on the photoshoot and the model release form. She followed up confirming details such as how she could do her hair and makeup and whether she should wear jeans or colored pants. She was kind enough to tell me that she had recently cut her hair into a pixie cut and I couldn't have been more ecstatic! I knew she was going to have the perfect look for this photoshoot.
The importance behind these details carries extreme weight with the overall aesthetic of any given photoshoot. I spent the first couple of years of my career trying to understand how the photographers I looked up to were able to achieve beautifully curated collections of portraits. Part of the success of these photos comes from the photographer and model having an open conversation on the styling of the photoshoot. Sometimes there can be other collaborators and creatives helping with the decisions but the result is the same in the end - pictures with purpose.
Bringing It All Together
I have two words for any photographer who is going DIY for their florals - Trader Joe's! SERIOUSLY. If you have one in your area, this is one of the best places to get beautiful florals, fillers, and greenery for your project. Ideally, I would have had more time to find a local florist to work on this photoshoot with but ultimately decided to go the route of doing it myself. The day of the photoshoot I stopped by TJ's and spent about $20 on the florals for Kitty. The contrasting colors paired perfectly with her pants (which I saw well ahead of time which was extremely helpful!)
There was a small moment when I thought that we might have to cancel the photoshoot altogether. When I originally set the date, I knew I wanted something during the week. Being that it is the end of April, there are a ton of different reasons people are out and about with their photographers: engagement sessions, Mother's Day photos, graduation photos, and just people like me trying to let out some creative juices! A weekday would help ensure less foot traffic from the public. Being that this was a topless photoshoot, that detail was extremely important to me. But that is when Mother Nature really tried to pull a fast one on us.
The day of the photo shoot was the beginning of a storm system that was coming in. In the hours leading up to the photoshoot, there were thunderstorms and rain. I kept looking at Accurate Weather (my mom calls in inaccurate weather lol) to see how things were developing. I decided that there was not enough threat at that current moment to cancel the photoshoot so after confirming with Kitty the photoshoot was still a go, I got in my car and headed to Mt. Falcon.
Windy and Cold
The weather conditions during this photoshoot were less than ideal but at the end of it, I know we truly lucked out! We had a small window of no rain or lightning and we took full advantage of it. The stormy sky made for a beautiful natural softbox. Which, if you didn't already know is wonderful for portraits. The wind while it was a tad chilly (low 40s) gave Kitty the most organic ruffle to her hair. What I thought might end up being a canceled photoshoot and failed attempt at my first styled shoot ended up being one of my absolute favorite sessions. This just gave me the confidence I need to keep getting creative!
I am grateful for Kitty and her braving the cold with me. I am blessed to live this close to God's beautiful green earth and looking forward to more sessions here.
