The reality of photographing a session at providence canyon |Athens, Ga Boudoir studio
If you are dying for inspiration, sometimes all it takes is making a change. or in our case it was a four hour drive from athens, Ga to Lumpkin. There lies the perfect backdrop for an artistic photoshoot. So we filled up the tank and hit the road! Did you know Georgia had its own little grand canyon?
Welcome to Providence Canyon!
Leading up to the session the excitement of what to wear, hair, jewelry, colors , and cool poses were buzzing through my mind. I quickly started a Pinterest board to organize my excitement around this location. You can steal my inspo here. Pinterest boards can always help If you get overly excited at the shoot like i do, Having a guideline can get you the most out of your creative session and stay on track. However, as fun and exciting as it is planning how the photos will look. You also need to plan accordingly what you will need to get to your destination.
In our case, we needed to wear comfortable hiking clothes because it wasn’t the easiest walk to our destination. We had to pass over mud, a small creek, AS WELL AS WALKING UP AND DOWN HILL. I recommend bringing a back pack to put the clothes you want to change into (you can wear a bathing suit under your clothes to strip your outfits on and off in public.) Or pack a portable changing tent for privacy.
THe fit
When choosing the look for this session It was important to me to find something that stood out and grasped attention, but didn’t over power the scenery. I chose blue for the fact that it made my subjects eyes pop and it is a natural color you see every day in nature (such as sky or water.) The floral pattern was also a perfect way to connect the subject to the earthy scenery. You can find her dress here in a size medium.
Because It was going to be 75-80 degrees we chose to keep her hair braided through the hike because we knew curls would fall due to heat. taking it out mid shoot for a beautiful wavy texture, and to not get her sweaty before the session. (Thank goodness, because we got lost a few times before finding the destination.) I also brought minimal makeup and a hair brush in my back pack for touch ups as needed.
wildlife
When you are in wild life’s habitat it’s important to remember you are a guest in it’s home. While hiking to our destination we saw two snakes, so keep your eyes peeled. Don’t forget your water and maybe some bug spray too! oh… and super important - A map!
The poses on the rocks give an incredible amount of texture and angle to the photos making it interesting to look at, which is exactly what I wanted. However, Don’t forget that this is rock and it is not at all comfortable to pose on. have your pose flow in mind and shoot quickly and efficiently to make sure your subject is as comfortable as possible. We chose flat shoes for comfortability or barefoot at times for flexibility.
let’s go!
overall 10/10 location ! We didn’t have to fight a crowd for spots to shoot and get creative, and those that passed by cheered us on and told us how beautiful the photos were going to be. If you are going to shoot here, head to the gift shop to grab a water and a map, then go ten min down to the creek. Once you have arrived to the muddy creek, turn left and follow it to section four and five for ten minutes and you will run into this shoot location. To come back, return the way you came. I hope this helps!
Ps. Don’t forget : Water, map, bug spray, hair & makeup touch ups, outfit/jewelry, camera, lenses, batteries, memory card, back pack, tripod, chargers, extra clothes /shoes if needed, and snacks!
