I found Ashley on the internet, perhaps the most-tattooed gal for at least a hundred miles in any general direction from her home, and invited her to shoot with me on what turned out to be the worst travel weekend of the year. I had a friend with me and she helped me pick out the road as we raced full-dark and a worsening blizzard to get to our remote rental cabin. I sent Ashley a note and tried to wave her off -- I didn't want to be responsible for anyone attempting to travel. She was all "nawww, I got this" and rolled up in a supercharged sports car with all-wheel drive and snow tires in what I can only describe as record time. I would have taken twice as long to make the drive. LOL. Which is maybe what I love about this photography thing. I really enjoy meeting people who are intent on being themselves and are willing to jump into a challenge and make something wonderful. We wound up spending far longer than we anticipated and I offered her the spare bedroom rather than drive several hours home but she was, again, all "nawwwww, I got this" and whirled off into the night. She sent a "got here safe" note, having apparently blown through the storm well over the speed limit. Damn. I've come back to these a few times and am currently discovering that improvements in my edit knowledge really help them get where I wanted them to go in the first place. She must have liked what I sent her at the time because I wound up driving into the desert 18 months later to meet she and her husband and shoot some maternity pictures for them, which I really enjoyed. Pregnant women are gorgeous in a really special and visceral way and it's a treat to capture that. I heard from her again a few years later when she was coming into Portland but we didn't manage to align our schedules and all of her contacts have gone dead since then. I wish I knew where she was just so I could send her some of these again -- I think she'd get a smile out of 'em.
I'm practicing a little self-care with escapism. A story in the alt-text. Ashley in frame. #mask #portrait #artmodel #roadtrip #snowstorm #oregondesert #pdxphotographer #cowboylife #monsters
