Shooting in the Trail of Two Forests

The last few weeks have been quite wet, but with the good weather returning this past week, I decided to take Joey up to the Trail of Two Forests near Mount St. Helens for a lengthy outdoor shoot in a place I call The Shire. For those who don't know, Mount St. Helens is an ancient, but active volcano. The Trail of Two Forests spreads out from the mountain's base and contains the remnants of previous lava flows. Lava tubes,  tree molds, and small caves are scattered throughout the landscape of the forest. The Shire is simply a large mound of deteriorating lava rock covered in deep, soft moss. During the spring rains, the moss thickens, greens, and forms a thick, soft cushion over the crumbled mound of rocks.  It's perfect for an outdoor glamour shoot.

A few trails meander through the forest, but the Shire lies a bit off the normal trails, and during the weekdays it's seldom disturbed. The mound forms three levels from its top to the forest floor. The forest surrounding the Shire provides a wonderful backdrop for images. The light filtering through the canopy, softened by the leaves, illuminates the mound with dappled beams perfect for backlighting.

I had three concepts in mind for the three hours we shot at the Shire. The first concept we shot was Woodland Glamour. For this, the model wore several different sheer or lace outfits that worked well with the dappled light. We shot this concept mainly on the forest floor and on the flat top of the moss-covered mound. Despite a recent, unfortunate brush with poison oak, Joey performed wonderfully, providing me with many lovely images. Her red hair contrasted well with the green of the mound and the forest backdrop and I was well pleased with the images.

Butterflies and Skin

The second concept included butterflies––lots of butterflies. We shot these images on, or perhaps, in the middle level of the Shire allowing Joey to lean back against the soft moss while I walked around her shooting from different angles. The multi-hued butterflies strategically covered her body while a leafy crown adorned her brow. The dappled light completed the illusion and the soft moss allowed Joey to remain comfortably reposed throughout the shoot. 

The final concept for this area featured a Forest Fae, a concept I had shot in a different form and forest years ago. I wanted to give it another go with a different model and location. For this shoot, we moved to a different area of the forest that provided a wilder, more primeval look. The outfit featured ornamental chains of silver and green, a leaf-covered thong, a circlet and fairy ears, and wings of leaves, moss, and twisted branches. Excepting the crown and jeweled pasties, all were custom-made. 

Forest Fae

Enamored of the outfit and the costume, Joey took videos of herself while I shot some behind-the-scenes images. The poses she provided were elegant and her expressions worked well for the concept. The forest provided the perfect backdrop for the concept, the old trees towering over us and the moss-covered logs and green undergrowth spreading across the forest floor.

During the entire three hours of shooting, we heard hikers only twice, saw distant hikers only once,  and were otherwise undisturbed. No one saw us, nor came close to where we were shooting. During the summer months, I expect there would be more hikers, but I would hesitate to shoot here then, and I have done so in previous years. 

Should you choose to visit the Trail of Two Forests for a hike or a shoot, be aware that you'll need a Northwest Forest Pass to be able to park in the lot near the interpretive trail.