Michelle | Calhan, CO

Michelle has been up for my photo projects for as long as I can remember. I've painted her face and put her in the woods, made her wear a poofy dress on some rocks, and every year we do a photo shoot in a field of sunflowers. So when Michelle bought this crown from a friend on Etsy and I saw it sitting in her room, I knew. We just had to get out there and take some photos of her with it!

We let the crown set the vibe for the whole thing, and built an idea around it. We went for dark, moody (or emo, as Michelle says!) vibes with the outfit, hair, and makeup. She totally killed it. And for the location, I wanted something that had its own textures but wouldn't be too busy. First I thought of going to a nearby river, but the lighting would be too dark for the crown to stand out. I thought about several forests around town, but--as I said--they would distract from the crown itself. A field felt like it would just be too boring.

But these formations? Absolutely. They worked perfectly! Did you know Colorado's got more than just the Paint Mines going on? I've found these types of formations on the side of the road in places like Castle Rock, too. (Keep your eyes open, because there are some great photo locations in places you might never expect.)

Check out some of the awesome shots Michelle and I got on that day!