This photoshoot gathering was a long-time dream that came to fruition in such a trusting way.
Although in many ways I am an organized person, I get to a point in my busy seasons where any ‘extra’ creative work I do for myself happens in such a flow. I put energy into planning this session, but not a whole lot of specific planning beyond necessary details.
The vision was in my mind & the trust was in my heart (and in ears from a few close friends reminding me) to know that gathering a group of women on my family land in the late summer sunshine would bring the type of collaborative magic you cannot force, but instead admire & play with as it unfolds.
Embracing flow has been an active practice for me over the last few years and it has benefited my sometimes perfectionist mind so much. To let go of control & trust in the process. To surrender to the beauty that is all around & know that putting good energy forward will bring that good energy back to you.
This group of women had a beautiful mix of long time friends of mine & ladies I had yet to meet in person, although by the end of the day you would have thought everyone had known each other for years.
I brought this group together wanting to showcase & celebrate diversity of beauty & the divine feminine.
Everyone arrived on the land in the early afternoon with time to explore the land, meet one another & share a light meal before communally getting ready together & joining one another in a circle.
We started out in the circle with introductions & drop in’s- smiles, tears & hugs were immediately shared.
The energy in a feminine space is like no other, trusting, nurturing, sacred & safe.
We then moved into body movement with Taylor, where everyone in the circle took a turn to choose a yoga pose to do as a group, followed by some ritual magic with Chakara.
Afterwards, we began constructing an earth mandala led by Emma. Using found materials foraged from the land & offerings each woman brought with her. The mandala quickly grew and took shape in such a beautiful way. The original plan was to have half the group work on the mandala and the other half start the intentional shoot, but it became obvious that we were all pulled into the magic of the growing mandala & created it fully as a group.
Bringing vulnerability, exploration, collaboration & play into the photoshoot experience is a top priority & having others help facilitate that was divine.
After the group activities, we began our intentional photoshoot time, taking time to photograph individuals, smaller groups & the whole group, ending the first look in the creek, which is always a goal of mine out there. I grew up in this creek and absolutely love bringing people into it to play & explore. Aquarian’s are the water barer’s, after all.
Once everyone got their all white outfits on, I led them into the field where my school bus is parked for golden hour photos. The goddess energy was very real in the gold sunshine, everyone twirled & danced in the light, warming their bodies after walking in the shaded creek.
This gathering held so much beauty. Seeing how each women felt held in the space & free to express herself brought me pure joy.
I am grateful to each of these women for trusting in the vision & participating with their hearts open, it was truly more beautiful than I could have dreamed.
