Lost in the Woods

It was an outdoors shoot and the weather man was calling for rain.  The day before it had come down in buckets.  The rain was so heavy that traffic was slowing down to 40mph just to see because the windshield wipers weren't keeping up.  A shoot in that heavy of a rain means a very wet model so I decided to tote around an umbrella and a change of clothing, just in case.  It was raining hard at my house, then just a bit drizzly ten minutes away, then only moist and overcast. It did rain quite bit in the valley but the shoot was up in the mountains and we rose above the rain and had a very nice shoot.

We took a path from city to ocean via back roads and forest service roads.  This is Oregon, western Oregon, so it’s green and hilly and beautiful with plenty of evergreen trees, ferns, vista of snowcapped mountains and because it is in the rainy season, there are small waterfalls all over the place and the low lands are getting somewhat spongy. I love it here.  It's so beautiful and being in the woods gives me a great sense of peace and of belonging.

We shot down by the river at first.  There was a large log partially in the water.  It was all moss covered.  I was wrapped in a sheer cloth and played my flute a bit.  I also had brought an earthenware pitcher and poured water on myself.  It was a good thought but I am sure the image won't come out.  Sometimes that's how it is.

We walked over to some Aspen further down and I waded and leaned on the trees.  It was simple and comfortable.  The cloth I was wrapped in this time was darker and shorter so the feel of the shoot will be very different than then previous one.  This was a little wilder, an untamed woman watching for danger or perhaps a fish to catch or just listening to the rushing of the water behind her.  This photo will come out well, I am sure.

We moved on.  I had shown the photographer a shot that I wanted to try.  It was of a woman simply garbed leaning against a very large tree as if the tree had wrapped her in its loving arms, as if she was clinging to its skirts as a child will do with its mother.  It's very strong and she seems so in tune with the tree, a druid perhaps, a wood nymph.  I hope I captured the feel for this one.

A few more sets and we started just wandering in his car along the deserted road.  We took a few less travelled roads and really got "lost"...as much as you can get lost when the GPS is telling you which way the road will turn next.  It was amusing though, she would tell us to turn right and we would look at a small path and think, "This car is not going to make it through that way!" and laugh.

The whole day was fun.  We talked and talked.  For perfect strangers we really connected quickly and I quite enjoyed the day.  It was a relief, as always, when at the end of the day, he said, "ok, well I can't wait until we can shoot again!"