Fate and Felicity

Almost a year ago I happened to find a very gifted self portrait artist living and working in Asia, I was immediately enchanted by her style and exceptional work. Not just that either because like me, she enjoyed experimenting with light & form, color & shadow

Take It Back

Among our discussions at one point I asked about working with another photographer, thinking of myself of course and truly was not surprised by her response when she said it wasn't very likely that we'd ever meet in person.

The Wind In My Hair

I guess the saying is true about being careful what you wish for because in a twist of fate and one amazing opportunity, we did in fact meet. And not only did we meet but we just did a 3 day desert road trip and photo shoot. I feel so incredibly blessed and very thankful that I can write this, it is an amazing feeling and a dream come true that I can post, Felicity in my deserts...

Two Steps

I practically overslept but I was able to scramble through a quick shower and get dressed by 4:15am, only 15 minutes late, Felicity was waiting for me, I had camera's loaded and most everything ready to go so by we were on the road shortly thereafter. Stopping at a Starbucks at 5 then a grocery store for flowers, we were in Lucerne just after the sun.

Portrait Of A Self Portrait Artist

First the flowers with the Holga, we worked on the dry lake bed for a a couple of hours, then up into the hills behind, after this we found a couple of abandoned buildings for another hour or two then headed toward Apple Valley and lunch. 

Living In Boxes

It was a bit of a whirlwind shoot because there were three main destinations in the three days, aside from Lucerne all were spaced fairly far apart, the Trona Pinnacles, Joshua Tree & Salton Sea were the main goals, we also visited the Indio canyons and the San Bernardino mountains.

Dream Shadows

These three days went by so fast, we were shooting and driving in the heat of the desert in July, savoring the sunrises and sunsets and getting what we could in between. The second day we decided to find a motel and do some work inside, this was a chance to get off the road for a bit, also an opportunity for Felicity to do some self portraits. We were without a real plan but made good use of the space, the light and especially the air conditioning.

So that's the story in a nutshell, we admired each others photographic style after finding each other on the Internet, we thought about what it might be like to meet and work together, and then with the opportunity ...and plane fare, we made a plan and did it. Across the ocean and into the desert, 3 days of adventure and wandering, we had fun, we did what we love to do and if this wasn't a wondrous gift enough, we met as distant acquaintances and parted close friends. Everything is possible.

Made Of Dreams

"Sometimes a photograph offers the photographer a gift he didn't expect, a marvelous detail - what the eye longing for meaning sees unconsciously, and includes. How wonderful it is that the decision to take a photograph is mysterious - giving us, like love, more than we bargained for." ~John Rosenthal