Inspired at the Dorset Marble Quarry

When I first went to the Dorset Marble Quarry, it was to scout the location for a photo shoot. Immediately, I felt an energy – a magnetism.

We were greeted by huge slabs of white marble and vibrant green grass. I thought this would be an amazing place for a photo shoot.

As a person who is intimidated by very high or very deep things, I elected to stay away from the edge of the water, which filled a space maybe 100 feet deep. The clear and cold liquid sparkled at me, and while I know this is a popular swimming spot, I kept my distance.

When I met J here, weeks later, she had 2 separate looks planned for her photo shoot. It was slightly colder that day and thankfully, there was only a handful of teenagers swimming.

We found a spot on the edge of the parking lot, which was literally a dirt driveway but hey. It was slightly sheltered and a bit hidden from the road and the water so we could be at ease during the shoot.

At J’s request, our first set was Hilda inspired. Here’s an article about Hilda if you are unfamiliar. J’s whole vibe screamed pin-up to me, and as an artist herself, she rocked the Hilda role!

The sky threatened to rain, but only dropped a few sprinkles on us when we first got there. Otherwise, it was cool and quiet.

We then moved on to the marble steps closer to the entrance and J transformed into a whole other persona!

I thoroughly enjoyed her creativity and exuberance while planning her session. I think one of the things I love about photo shoots is that you have permission to “be someone else” for a minute. Personally, I rarely dress up on a day to day basis, but when I have a photo shoot – I, too, transform. It’s freeing and fun and fabulous!

She wanted darker and slightly spooky. The contrast and energy of the area lent itself to J beautifully.

An odd thing was (and I notice these things especially after Eric & I’s Gettysburg experience) that the photos would be fine in the back of the camera and then all of a sudden, would be completely blown out and white. I hadn’t changed anything in the settings or my position. The sun hadn’t come out suddenly. There was no readily apparent explanation and it seemed to occur with greater intensity the closer we got to the water. I’ve had random equipment failure and malfunctions in “energetic” areas and this one seemed to be no exception.

We had a lot of laughs during this session, and I was grateful, as always, that a client appreciated my sense of humor and the general trainwreck of a mom brain that I have. J took it all in stride and I had a great time!

We wore ourselves out on this session, for sure. The terrain was definitely not for the faint of heart – as the rocks are hard and cold and the ground uneven.

By the end we were exhausted and I don’t know about J, but it was everything I could do to get home and I crashed like a ton of bricks. But, I was buoyed by excitement and love for what I do, and the hope that my clients are, too!

Thanks to J for this session and for introducing me to a cool, new location!