After buying my 50mm lens last year, I’ve only been able to practice and use it a handful of times – mostly on my dogs. Recently, most of my days have revolved around work, the new house, the dogs, and whatever little social life I still have post-grad. So you can imagine how excited I was when I realized my weekends were clearing up and things were beginning to settle down!
As con season is starting up again, I knew I had to practice some more with my lens so I decided to see if anyone would be interested in collaborating with me. Who did I ask? Rachel, of course!
We’ve known each other for almost ~17 years now and through our awkward high school and college years, we’ve always been known by friends and family to have fun and creative photoshoots. If there is anyone in my life who is down to take pics and be my model while I hype them up behind the camera, it is (without a doubt) her.
After we chose to do it outdoors, we looked online to see what was new and in the area. We came across the Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve on Yelp and based off of the pictures alone, we knew we had found the perfect location.
We left early on a Saturday morning (probably 8:00 AM) and found it pretty easily. The parking was a bit of a b, so we opted to park on the side of the road like everyone else. Even though we got there before 9 AM, it was already quite crowded. Made sense because it was pretty sunny already!
There were signs at the entrance of the park saying that professional photography is prohibited and that you are required to have a permit to do so. I assume we didn’t fall under that umbrella as the descriptions seemed hyper-focused on professional photography and videography aka if you are bringing lighting rigs and equipment, taking up a lot of hiking trail space, etc. you probably need a permit. We decided to be a little sneaky about it anyway, just in case.
We had read some of the reviews before we left and it seemed that the most scenic route was the botanical trail. It was probably only ~4-5 miles total, but within the first five minutes of us starting off, we had discovered the creek. It was exactly what we were looking for so we started taking pictures right away.
It was awesome being able to work with Rachel for photos again. When you find someone you make a great team with, the whole process becomes a lot easier. I’m not the best director when it comes down to it, but Rachel is an absolute natural with poses and modeling. I’ve definitely been spoiled!
There are a few things I would like to try next time (maybe more face-fronting photos!), but overall I think this session was a success. Hoping we can squeeze in another shoot sometime soon!
