Joey the Warrior of Future and Past

I had a great shoot with Joey Darke yesterday. We had discussed shooting my post-apocalyptic concept with her as a model. I haven't shot that concept since July of 2019 when Merrique and I spent a day shooting glamour in the woods and then shooting the post-apocalypse scenes later in the day. I enjoyed reviving the concept, especially with a great model like Joey. She brings joy to every shoot with her buoyant personality and easy smile. 

We planned a second shoot as part of our day. Ever since we did a Celtic Goddess shoot last year with woad designs on her face and torso, she's been itching to redo the shoot with the designs all over her body. As you can see from the images, she did a nice job drawing the designs on her body. She really had to stretch to get some of them drawn, but she did better than I did with the designs on her back. 

We shot the post-apocalypse concept under the bridge over the Muddy River in the Mount St. Helens Monument area. Muddy River is a misnomer. The river is long gone, leaving a mostly dry riverbed of jumbled boulders and sand with steep banks lining its path. Mount St. Helens rises majestically to the northwest of the bridge and provides a splendid backdrop for the images. I've shot several versions of the concept at the spot, but I had new outfits and weapons for Joey to use for her shoot.

Getting to the shoot site took some time due to roadwork along the route. Even though many of the potholes and dips in the road had been repaired since my last visit, one area had sustained a significant washout and a shallow stream still flowed over the road with significant washboards on the other side. We had to take it slow and easy to avoid bottoming out the car. Once there we parked just past the bridge and made our way down to the river bed. Be warned, if you go to this area, you're going to need a Northwest Forest Pass to park in the area.

Once in the riverbed we staged our props, costumes, and equipment under the bridge and started the shoot. Joey had a blast climbing the boulders and wearing the different outfits. She noticed how the shadows from the bridge railings were falling on the rocks below and we shot a series of nudes featuring those shadows playing across her body. We spent about two hours shooting there then packed up, climbed out, and headed to another location for our Celtic warrior shoot.

I had noticed a number of turn-outs on our way to the first shoot site, so we headed back down the road and picked the first path that seemed like it would provide a good location to shoot. Not far down the dirt road, we found an easy place to pull off and once Joey had applied the woad to her face and torso, we got started. As she removed more of her outfit, we added more woad designs and for the full nude shots, she had designs all over her body. This portion of our shooting day lasted for about an hour.

The smart lady that she is, she brought plenty of makeup removal wipes to remove the woad from her body and soon we were off for home. Unfortunately, due to bridge work on I-5 and massive traffic as we approached Portland, it took us twice as long to get back as it did to get up to the mountain in the first place. Joey managed to get a nice long nap on the ride back though, and I got to listen to some good tunes while she slept. 

I'll be sharing many of these images on Instagram and Deviant Art, so if you're not following me there, you'll miss some of the best images from the shoot. 

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.