Magical. That’s the only way I can think to describe this shoot. This shoot that almost didn’t happen. As you know, Heath and I are from SW Kansas and drive there to see my mom often. Every time we take the 5 1/2 hour trek, we drive through the Gloss Mountains outside of Enid, Oklahoma, and have been dying to do a shoot there for the last 4 years. The Gloss Mountians are cliffs of red dirt that come out of the ground seemingly out of no where. They are absolutely stunning…especially at sunset. After talking with my friend, Mikala with Makeup by Mikala, I realized that her home town, Fairview, is just 6 miles from this location and she was game for a shoot as well. We could both picture how beautiful it would be.
I knew Spring would be the best time of year for the shoot as everything would be blooming but it wouldn’t be unbearably hot yet. So we hashed out a date that we could both make it and it worked perfectly for me since we were heading to Kansas anyway the last weekend in March. Now…to find a model…with a wedding dress. After having two great prospects not pan out, I was near giving up on it. Then my friend (and an amazing model) Lily, gave me the name of an aspiring model that she knew, Angie Hawkins. I literally got a hold of her Thursday night…and the shoot was friday. She was up for it and even took off work to take photos with a person she didn’t even know. Thanks for trusting me, Angie!
We still had one problem though…Angie isn’t married…so she doesn’t have a wedding dress. So I busted out my dress circa 2007 for her to try on. She came over Friday morning and, luckily, it fit perfect! I was sooooooo relieved! At this point, I still needed a veil. I had a vision in my head of a long Cathedral-style veil on top of the mountain. So we made one. That’s right, Angie accompanied me to Hobby Lobby and for $16 we made an amazing veil that morning. We finished up just in time for Mikala to arrive for makeup. Sometimes things just work out.
After hair and makeup, we took the 3 hour drive to central Oklahoma and arrived just as the sun was started to set. We began at the base of the mountains then started the climb to the top, stopping half way for some more photos. Magical. That’s the kind of light we were given Friday evening. Simply magical. The dress, the veil, the amazing makeup…it all just worked. Heath and I both shot on this bridal and it was so much fun. I love how we have very similar but slightly different shooting styles. Mikala even tried out her film camera (can’t wait to see them!). Angie, our Native American beauty, did so great in a not so easy location. Her look was perfect for what we were trying to achieve; pure Oklahoma. The entire goal was to show how beautiful this state really is in it’s truest form.
I love doing inspiration shoots. It gives us a chance to choose makeup that is a bit edgier than usual and try out a location that probably isn’t ‘normal’ and just be creative.
Model | Angie Hawkins
Makeup | Mikala Ewald with Makeup by Mikala
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Here are a few of Heath’s shots. I love having a talented husband!
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Here are a few half way up the mountain. There were some beautiful yellow flowers and grasses to work with. Love it!
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Heath’s take.
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Here we are…at the top of the Gloss Mountains…photographing Oklahoma in all it’s beauty!
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Heath’s take.
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This is a perfect example on how two people with different lenses and different creative eyes can be in the same spot and get two totally different images.
My image.
Heath’s image.
I love them both, but for different reasons. Heath has a longer lens and shot at a higher angle, showing more of the background. I shot with a slightly shorter lens, at a much lower angle, and directly into the sunset, creating a glowly look. I just love photography!
Of course, it’s awesome as always!!! Love your work!!!!!!!!!!!!