This shoot almost didn’t happen. These images almost didn’t exist. But sometimes the Universe pushes you in ways you don’t understand until you have time to reflect on it, and coming to these realizations can take days…or years depending on how big the redirection is.
Let me give you the deets-
I have had an idea bopping around my head for 13 years (yes, thirteen YEARS) for an image of a girl in water with greenery around her but not consuming her. The water had to be natural (no pool) and the image had to be shot from above. Think Ophelia but…not dead looking. Every time I go to a watery place, I have my eye out for this manifestation and every time I am disappointed. There is either no greenery, or too much greenery, or the wrong type of greenery. Or there is some greenery that might work but there is no way for me to shoot from above because there is no place for me to stand. Or the water is too deep and far from shore and I need my subject to be able to take a break and not be stuck in the middle of a lake, panicking. Or everything looks okay but it’s just a stream and I want an expanse of water. What can I say, I am picky.
Well, after years of searching I finally found the spot while scoping out the location for Nico’s shoot. Now I just needed a subject. So, I reached out to someone on tour who had expressed interest in a shoot and it was a go. I purchased the outfit (I spent more than I should have but 1- I have expensive taste and 2- this shoot was years in the making, there’s no way I’m skimping out and not getting the outfit I want). I created the mood board and everything was a go. Until it wasn’t and I had to scramble to find a replacement who would both fit the outfit and be willing to get into open water all within 2 days and before we moved on from Tulsa and my dream was left as just that…a dream and not a reality.
Olivia enters the stage.
Talk about serendipity. Olivia just happened to be out on tour for three weeks covering the Elphaba track. She’s the proper size for the garment and she seemed like she’d be up for an adventure. So, I asked. And she graciously said yes. The dream was back on.
The shoot went wonderfully, both because the images were turning out so well and because of the amazing conversation. I felt like I could be myself with her. I shared things about my struggle to get paid for my art while out on tour. She shared some stuff. We took lots of images.
And then it was time to get in the water.
It’s easy to say yes to a water shoot. Much harder to actually do it when it’s time to push off into the depths. We took some open water images at a spot that had a hidden rock for support as a warmup. Then Olivia had to dig deep and do the thing and swim to the greenery spot. Once she got there, she realized that it’s actually not as deep and scary as she had originally thought.
And I guess that’s the lesson here.
Oftentimes, the idea of what lurks below is much scarier than it actually is. And the longer we wait to do hard things the bigger and more monstrous they become. There are many quotes about this. But reading words about fear in the comfort of your bed and actually being forced to live the lesson are two different things. Olivia showed courage in real time, and I was blessed with witnessing it.
Truth be told, the images of that greenery space in the water aren’t even my favorite ones from the shoot. Don’t get me wrong, they are great and beautiful and magnificent and I’m proud of them and Olivia for helping me create my dream. That’s a lesson I’m always learning- sometimes the image you set out to take doesn’t even matter all that much in the end. It’s those spontaneous images when you try a new thing or open your eyes to the scenery around you and actually create in the moment that make the best images.
So here is the art Olivia and I made together. I can’t thank you enough, friend.
(P.S. Throughout this entire shoot I was always letting Olivia know that she absolutely did NOT have to get into that water if she didn’t feel up to it. I think I said it so much that it became annoying. But it’s very important to me for people to feel comfortable and in control at all times. Working within your boundaries matters so incredibly much more to me than a photo. Always.)
