art.of.a.rock

Tag: winter

An Earthly Lifestyle Shoot with Izzy

A cold-December-Saturday-morning-nature-photoshoot with Izzy. She’s into fashion, is brave and has adventure in her soul… Awesome to work with! We submerse ourselves into NATURE to get some, some-what intense shots. I hope you enjoy them for their artistic nature and beauty, as well as the pure adventure of their making!

Thank you, Izzy for doing such a great job posing, collaborating, and bringing a vision to life!

*There are landscapes, nature and water photos down below too!

From the park and ride, we drove for about 20 minutes discussing the shoot and getting familiar. After arriving to the snowy dirt road destination, we pulled to over and headed down the rocky pathway. Soon, there was a small but nice wooden bridge to our right, so we used it quickly to take some photos to start, then kept on down the path.

Walking along the brook high above, we looked down for potential spots to shoot. Izzy found a nice open area with lots of interest… icicles, a small waterfall, and an incredible amount of exposed rock with moss, leaves, and snow layered upon them. We had to jump down 4 feet to get to this spot, but once we were down there, we became inspired by all that we saw!

These are the icicles that were around the corner. I love seeing this type of thing, you never know what type of formations you will find, and they are always impressive in some way or another.

We managed to climb our way back up the drop. First, I set my camera up there, then with both arms I lifted myself up the rock. Izzy followed and I gave her a hand. We headed further down the brook, coming to another beautiful area that I had shot photos at before. We found a safe way down, and gazed our eyes upon a rounded rock as a centerpiece.

Izzy was going to attempt to hoist herself up onto it as I went around to the back and greeted her as she was thinking about how she would get up.

“Should I go around?” she asked. “You should go around,” I replied. This was one of the many amusing moments we had. It’s one of those moments where you need to do complete a task. It seems difficult at the time, like you might not be able to do it. Then suddenly it hits you and is a hundred times easier than first expected. That’s when you laugh it off and just do it!

This rock proved to be a valuable spot. All of the snowy elements around it, plus the red sweater Izzy wore, worked really well together.

This next one, I tried to create more depth by lowering my camera into the foreground snow.

After many photos taken on this rock, we decided we would head back up the path, as it was getting a little chilly. After a few minutes of trekking back to the car I spotted another area that sparked my eye. It was a long stretch of water with small falls, and lots of space to photography. I asked Izzy if we should go down. She agreed, and mentioned the walk had already warmed her up! So we carefully walked downward. I had picked up a small branch along the way and gave it to her as a prop.

We were soon done with this branch and came to the conclusion that would have to cross the narrow brook in order to get to a mossy spot across the way.

Worth the trouble? I think so. Adventurous moments like crossing an icy brook make it all the more exciting and gets photos like this!

She was by far a champ with this shot. This is the part we had to leap across to get to and from.

Once we got back to her car, the plan was to drive to her father’s house so she could switch outfits. During the car ride, passing farmland with Mt. Mansfield far ahead in our sight, we discussed other possibly locations. I mentioned how I’m into old cars, even junked. She came back with saying that there’s a little junkyard of old Saabs and VWs on her property. I got excited at this because shooting at a place like that was high on my list.

While headed to her father’s home, we were driving up to an area that that we mentioned before for how wonderful the scenery was.

We had discussed that the scenery would make a great landscape photo, but probably wasn’t worth taking portraits at, since it’s better to submerse your subject in the scene, rather than put them in front of it. This is what gives feeling, depth, and purpose to the photo.

But as soon as I saw the red gate, I wanted to at least get a few shots. After I quickly brought up the idea of stopping to take photos at the red gate, Izzy pulled over without hesitation and we began taking some photos. The sun was behind her, so it wasn’t the most idea lighting, but I got some nice shots of her and the scenery anyway.

I think it’s important for a subject to sometimes interact with the environment that they are in, so the red gate was great for this, and Izzy did a great job doing so!

We made it back to her father’s home, where she was able to switch outfits. I was also able to warm up a bit in there as well as take some photos of their Siamese cat, Florence. She is a very sweet cat who has many years behind her, but you may not notice that!

Izzy wanted to wear a dress, but it couldn’t be a summer dress. I think she was able to find one that worked well, along with a fur lined sweater that once belonged to her grandmother. 🙂 For the sake of sentimentality, we took photos on the tire swing in her front yard. There were a lot of distractions in the background, so I decided to seclude her into the sky so her and the tire swing be the only focus. It gives a different feel, but I like the look.

Once I had taken a couple dozen of her swinging back and forth, it was time to move on. We were headed to the junkyard. We drove a short distance, and soon I could see the oddly beautiful sight of wrecked, mangled, and piled vehicles.

There were two that caught our eye especially, one red VW rabbit and one a military green unknown.

Izzy cheerfully volunteered to climb in the trunk of the Rabbit. This became one of my favorite spots quickly. I don’t know if I could say the same for her for the sake of comfort, but the photos that resulted speak for themselves! The ice and snow on the window, all the junk laying around made for a unique atmosphere.

We then moved on, taking a few at the mangled orange VW beetle.

We still looked around, and ended up being led to an extremely large rusty tube that could be walked into. So she went in and I walked around to the other side where the sun was shining.

There was a birch tree grown directly next to the rusty tube. I’m unsure of which was there first, but I’m glad they can coexist, because it really made these photos special!

I also took the opportunity to photograph Mt. Mansfield and Smugglers’ Notch in a unique way.

We decided to drive a bit to warm up some more, and we came to this stone archway that we had driven past an uncountable amount of times in our lives. Since we had to turn around to go to our next location anyway, we stopped for a super quick shoot. I would have to stand in the road in order to get enough of the arch in the photo. Cars coming up and down the hill at 35mph, proved this to be a more challenging spot, but I think the photos came out well considering that.

Challenges like these really are a big reason why I love photography. It puts you in situations where you have to think on your feet and work with what you got.

As quickly as we swooped in, we swooped out and drove back up the hill. We took a left down a narrow grassy road into the woods nearing the river. Snow dusted the ground, contrasting with the green of the trees and moss. The wooded trail we ventured into was almost magical. I was really glad we chose this spot for our last location.

It was a little darker, so I had to bump up my ISO pretty high, but we still came out with some usable photos that showed off Izzy in this little wonderland full of pinecones and moss!

In this one, I wanted to create depth and movement by taking the photo as she stepped past the large tree root. I think it worked alright, though there is always room for improvement!

How did we do? Every photoshoot is a learning experience for me, so I know there are things I should have done differently, but there are also many things I learned as I was going. Always looking forward to the next!

Please share with anyone who enjoys the outdoors, nature, pinecones, art, photography, birch trees… the list goes on. Comment with any feedback you can think of, and most of all thank you for making it to the end!

P.S. I apologize for any grammatical errors or unnatural sentences; I don’t have much time to write these out, and I’m always wanting to get them out as soon as I can. I hope that doesn’t distract from it at all.

December 13, 2017
Reflecting Trees of Snow, A Barnwood Pink Glow…

Savannah and I left the cold abandoned bus in hopes of warming up along the car ride. By the time we got back to the paved road, there was a long forgotten Christmas tree farm on a hill across the way. I turned onto this road, but we kept driving until we were ready to leave the car and start shooting again.

I passed slowly through a covered bridge, and ultimately decided to turn onto a rode we had both never been on before. It came to an end at a house with farmland. With our windows both rolled up to retain the warm air, two wide and stout shepherds greeted us. As I was turning around to go back from where we came, the barking dogs were an entertaining duo.

Once we came to the Christmas tree farm again, we decided it we were ready to walk into the tree darkened cover through the single wire fence. There was a wide and slightly lit passageway, so naturally we walked to it.

Savannah with her bedroom mirror in hand and fur vest mentioned reflecting the trees into the mirror like she’d seen before, so that’s what we attempted. I think it was a success!

Whenever you see a mirror, you’re looking in to it…

We also attempted a some from a distance, but I find that the mirror isn’t as effective this way, plus there is a snowflake overload!

With the temperatures still dropping and snow beginning to pick up, we left the overgrown tree columns and ventured back to my car parked on the snowy roadside. We then began to drive, discussing where we should go next. Our words led us to turn up a separate dirt road where a small barn lies abandoned. When we ultimately drove up to it, “No Trespassing” signs were posted.

It’s never a good idea to trespass… It can be tempting to do what a sign tells you not to do, but no good usually comes from it. Signs are made for a reason 😉

We kept driving up the road, trying to figure out what to do. Savannah mentions getting photos of her laying in the snow, so we are each scanning around to see any good spots as we drive past them. Nothing appears. We could go to the swimming hole, we thought next. I was getting ready to find a turn around spot, and up on the left comes an old brick farmhouse with a dilapidated red barn to it’s near right. I reverse and crank my wheel to make fresh tracks into the driveway hidden amongst the deep snow. This place has been abandoned all the times that I’ve ever gone past it. Additionally, there aren’t any “No Trespassing” signs present. We contemplated whether or not we should check it out. The ultimate conclusion was that, yes, it would be appropriate to check it out. I silenced my rumbling Subaru with key turn, and gathered my bag full of gear. We opened our doors and made way to the barn.

Walking toward the structure, I saw an opening in the sparse winter bushes that could be walked along to the barn. A substantial white capped log lies across the path. I climbed up and over and Savannah soon followed. As we got close, I scoped it out and found a crouched opening through a hole in the structure and around the corner. We entered the mess of this previous horse home and began looking around at the dated object scattered around us.

A calendar from 1970 and a telephone from who knows when… worth a few poses!

There was a separate room passed through a wide open rectangle and dropped down three feet. I hopped down and looked around. Definitely an interesting room, but I wasn’t going to have Savannah jump down… She wasn’t having that either, Too sketchy!

Instead, she stood in the rectangle, a slightly safer place to be inside this troubled barn.

Our presence in the barn also brought on some most helpful lighting…. =P

It wasn’t as cold in the barn, considering the wind wasn’t blowing, but soon after this, we agreed to call it quits. So we exited through the same hole that we came in. As we follow our bootprints back to the pathway and once again come to this log, I ask Savannah if she would sit so we could get a few last shots. I didn’t feel bad asking her sit on a snowy log considering she already mentioned laying in the snowy entirely.

She eagerly agreed, so I hopped over the log and had her face me so I could capture the wooded area and vague pathway that behind her.

At this point we were actually finished. Back into the car and into town we went. What a cool experience it was, going from location to location and figuring out everything along the way.

Comment! Which one is your favorite… Do you have any questions… What should I do next? Thanks for viewing, and thanks again to Savannah for being such a champ!

P.S… It was a light orb.

November 30, 2017
Snow Bus to Nowhere – With Savannah

First off, thank you Savannah!

On Monday around noon after spending the morning at Smugglers’ Notch, a winter photoshoot is on the agenda. I drive with Savannah to the first unplanned destination. After a few miles of driving, we turn left onto a snow covered dirt road. As we reach the end, I back into a wide part in the road to park. We gather our things, Savannah with her spare shoes, mirror, and glasses. Myself just with my camera gear. She knows we are going to an old school bus, but she can’t see it at first. It show it to her through the trees and falling snow in the distance. The scene is white… a bus painted white, snow covered logs, trees, mountains and sky. It’s just under 30 degrees, with the temperature dropping.

We enter the bus and immediately get excited at the opportunities around us. The bus is old and tattered, with no seats inside. Snow dustings are scattered about, and beginning to cover the shards of glass that are shattered throughout.

Since we are here, we are ready. It’s time to shoot some photos! We look around a bit and decide what to do first, and that is to go to the back of the bus, being careful not to make footprints. Savannah does a good job at this, but as I am shooting, I’m not paying attention and track up the floor. My bad… Hopefully this photo of the floor untouched can help forgive that.

Savannah hasn’t modeled in over a year, so there was a quick warm up. After several minutes, we both became very inspired with all that the bus had inside and out. At this point, I’d like to share the photos featuring Savannah.

Here are the shots. Make sure to view them all in full screen for full effect!

She wanted the candle, I wanted the broken glass. We got both, plus the snowy outside in this next shot!

Trying different angles, slowly working our way up the bus…

Part of the magic that comes with a photoshoot in a snowstorm. It helps when all of the windows are busted out! (DON’T DO IT)

It was definitely chilly for Savannah, having no jacket, though I’m sure the thick furry vest did some good. We both had to take breaks to warm our hands up again.

She was always good to get back into it!

Before we moved too far along, I wanted to get some photos from outside of the bus. This would offer a whole different perspective from the inside. My main thought was to go to the side of the bus, but before that was able to happen, I got caught up on the backside. It was such a good position!

After being at the back for awhile, I finally decided to make it around to the side.

I asked Savannah if she’d be able to bring her head out of the window and look back; she made it happen!

Lastly, a little slideshow of some images from the front of the bus, a candid, plus some other detail hand shots!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

While we were almost ready to go, Savannah found a small skull, so we decidedly started to take photos with it, At the same moment, I heard a loud beeping noise coming from the road. It was the sound of a vehicle backing up, so I was quite distracted. Unsure if my car was about to be towed or what, a few blurry pictures later, I decided I would run up and check it out. After trekking through up through the snow I found there to be a plow truck and a man with a sheet of paper. I found out (which was my suspicion before) that I wasn’t supposed to park there. It’s a turn around spot for large vehicles… snowplows and school busses. The dude was nice and handed me the note saying I’m not allowed to park there, and asked if I saw any deer, then went on his way. I’m just fortunate he was able to turn around. The long duration of the beeping tells me it wasn’t the easiest task.

Overall this was an awesome location, especially for being just a school bus in a field. We lucked out with the snow, as it made for a unique atmosphere. I was able to work with the falling snow to my advantage in certain shots, and I’m happy with the way they came out. Savannah was a awesome to work with, she was a champ in the cold!

This was only our first location; soon after she followed back to my car and I blasted the heat. We went on our way back down the snowy dirt road to find the next spur of the moment stop.

Follow the blog to stay caught up on the series! Also, any feedback is welcome; likes and shares are greatly appreciated as well! SPREAD THE ART!

November 29, 2017