(er)inspire

next up is the stunning Killian at Garison’s Gulch

this shot brought to you by the Arizona sunset…and that’s it!  no special effects!

here’s the next beautiful model that I had the opportunity to work with at Garison’s Gulch….Emma

one of my FAVORITES:

one of my favorite Barbizon shoots was at a place in Vail, AZ called Garison’s Gulch.  for this shooting day I had a whole team of people helping outso I’d like to thank April Patten for being the glue that always pulls these fun days together and her husband, John, and their families that were there offering their hospitality and helping with the bon-fire and lighting at night.  I’d also like to thank the stylists from Style 7 Salon, Nicole Aros, Jesse Estrella, and Christina Tapp as well as make-up artist Heaher Van Houten for their amazing artistry.  and a very special thank you to Denise and Big Bear Morris for letting us use their property and their baby, a 1996 Honda Valkyrie!

so let’s start off with Amanda on the Honda Valkyrie.  these shots were back lit with a bon fire and lit in front with the head lights from Big Bear’s harley and a couple of construction lights.  seriously!

and here are the rest from Amanda that day

i live in southern arizona where we VERY rarely get snow on the ground, but i had been dying to do a photoshoot in the snow.  so for this next shoot the models and i took a drive nearly 7000 feet up to the top of Mt Lemmon to find the elusive white stuff.  of course we stopped a few times along the way to take advantage of the areas damaged by fire a few years ago and to play in the aspen groves.  finally, when we got to the top, the only snow we could find was in the shadows of the towering mountaintop telescopes!

i don’t know what i was thinking when i got dressed for this photoshoot… i wore ballet flats and promptly lost them somewhere in the knee-deep snow while shooting. :/  i eventually found them, but not after nearly having my toes frost bitten!

thank you April Brydges for coordinating this fun shoot!  a special thank you to Jadine  and Tommy for arranging special access for us on the mountain top

and for bringing the picnic!

and last but certainly not least, the talented hair stylists Ella-Ditta Sciarrone and Talia Stannard and make-up artist Amber Smelker.

AMAZING JOB TEAM!!!

what a sight it must have been to see me with camera gear, four models with bags of dresses and styling products and a stylist tracking through the desert searching for an oasis called Cienega Creek.  after a few scrapes from prickly bushes and thorns from cactus and then scaling a rock wall, we found it!!

see that green mossy stuff on their clothes above??  ^^^^  i was covered head to toe in it by the end of the day.  at some point,  i even caught a fish.  with my shoe!  no one can accuse me of not getting into my work

one point along the trail i came across this sign tied to a tree.  a reminder that everywhere you go in this part of the country the events of january 8, 2011 are forever on our hearts and minds:

thank you April for styling another successful and fun shoot!