I am absolutely ecstatic to share my most recent senior model destination shoot on my blog today. This year my models took part in a 2 day photo shoot on the north shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota.
The inspiration for this shoot was the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald on November 9, 1975. Some of you may not be familiar with the legend of her sinking. As a child I would visit the north shore and hear about the tragedy of the freighter ship’s sinking with 29 souls on board during a horrific winter storm. For more information about the tragedy click HERE. I have always been curious about the story. Why did it sink? Were the men scared? Did it happen fast? What about their families? I can only imagine the sorrow the families felt, as they looked out over the vast waters, waiting for their loved ones to come home. In the end, they never returned.
When I began planning this shoot, I knew I wanted to incorporate a vintage look to the wardrobe and also when I edited the images. I asked my senior models to find wardrobe that reflected more of a Victorian era. I asked my hair and makeup team to create looks that reflected a modern take on the Victorian era and honestly I couldn’t have envisioned anything better! Jessica Mattevi from Vain Salon honestly brought my vision to life.
When we woke up on the morning of the shoot, I was really concerned about the weather. The entire state of Minnesota was covered with rain on the radar. I frantically started trying to find a backup plan to shoot indoors. When I realized I couldn’t find any indoor locations, I decided to just “go with it”. Since my inspiration board (below) was extremely moody, I was ok with a little rain. But what happened next was sheer luck. The rain stopped and dense fog rolled in. The waves of Lake Superior were huge! Honestly, this was the perfect weather for my moody, stormy shoot!
We began our shoot right outside our cabin on the rocky shore. My senior models were absolutely amazing. They each were so brave when I asked them to go bare foot on the rocky shores as well as get into the chilly water.
We then headed to Palisade Head on Lake Superior. Palisade Head is an enormous igneous outcrop on the shores of Lake Superior. The sheer drop off literally makes your heart pound from fear. As we wound our way up to the top of Palisade Head the fog got even more dense. When we reached the top, we were literally in the clouds. It was the most breathtaking experience I have had during a shoot. My senior models were seriously so brave during this portion of the shoot. The winds were gusting and honestly, I was a little scared.
After Palisade Head we went back to the cabin where I asked the girls if they wanted to get in the lake for some final shots. I told them it was optional, but they all wanted to. Lake Superior was still fiercely crashing it’s waves and things got a little interesting when the girls waded into her cold waters. But the images I captured as well as the video footage is amazing.
This destination shoot with my senior models was definitely one for the books. I had so much fun getting to know all of the girls and they all had an opportunity to get to know eachother better too. I hope you enjoy the movie trailer I created as well as the imagery I captured.
Last but not least, thank you to my Class of 2017 Senior Models for literally being amazing.
xo,
Nicole
