Dreaming of Cacti in Arizona

Yes, I said Cacti, because technically "cactuses" isn't proper grammar. I flew to Phoenix in September, and I'm ecstatic about the images my team and I created. I was originally booked for a job with a client for two days, and I made the decision to add two extra days onto the trip to do some personal shooting of my own.

This was my second time photographing in the desert. The first was in Palm Springs. If any of my blog readers remember that trip, it was the very disappointing one because Joshua Tree State Park was closed due to flooding. No desert flooding this time!

We had four shoots total over Saturday and Sunday. They were long days, but it was a fantastic excuse to get outside a see some scenery.

I was lucky enough to take along Jeneka K, who styled the clothing on the shoots. She flew with me from Florida, which was nice to have the travel company. We booked models from the Ford/Robert Black Agency in Scottsdale, Arizona. A very professional agency with an amazing board. We created different looks for the shoots, each in different different locations. It's wonderfully refreshing to be creative in a completely different climate. The most difficulty I had there was fighting my overwhelming urge to put a cactus in each image.

They say traveling "slows down time" because of being in a new environment. I feel strongly that traveling also spurs creativity. It brings excitement and at the same time pushes out the mundane routine of every day life. Travel whenever you can, and embrace it! You never know when your last opportunity to travel will be.