Dolores had been wanting to do a photo shoot for herself for a while, but wasn’t sure of the concept until she had a pivotal life change. We wanted to honor the loss of family and her Mexican culture by doing a Dia de los Muertos themed photo shoot. She told me this was to help her heal and feel confident in this new life chapter, and I was honored she trusted in me to capture that.

Flowers are a major theme of the ofrendas (offerings to loved ones you’ve lost) of Dia de los Muertos, so we searched for flower fields in the Orlando area in the fall that we could use for a photo shoot. It took some research and speaking with several farms, but we found one — Amber Brooke Farms in Eustis, FL — that would have both sunflower and zinnia fields in season around the time of the holiday when we planned the shoot, in October.

We collaborated on a vision board beforehand. I wanted to catch golden hour into blue hour, where the magic of night starts to creep in and we’d let the candlelight and nighttime aspect of Día de los Muertos shine. Luckily the venue we chose was flexible on timing, we just had to wrap around sunset so we could catch both golden hour and blue hour.

The trickiest part of this shoot was the rescheduling that had to happen due to two hurricanes that came through the area. Though Florida does encounter storms during hurricane season, it’s pretty rare for two major storms to hit the same area within a two-week period. Luckily, we were still able to move forward with the shoot, we just had to postpone it a little bit after the storms to give time for the flowers to grow again since much of them had been damaged due to the storm winds and damage.

Despite that hiccup everything came together perfectly in the end. I arrived early and found my client and her daughter (who has also been a client of mine) drinking wine, listening to music and chatting as the traditional Mexican makeup look was applied. Just before our start time, I scouted the farm to see the best spot and we decided on the sunflower field as it had fared the best after the hurricanes.

I set up my lights and our first spot in the flower field as the others met me in the field right at golden hour. The weather was sunny and cool, perfect for an outdoor session. I brought a candelabra with long candles and bouquet of flowers, and Dolores brought a traditional Mexican blanket and some decorated skulls. We played a mix of Mexican music and Dolores‘s empowerment playlist to set the mood.

I eased into the session by starting with some simple poses using the props we brought to gauge her comfort with the camera and get some solid photos before diving deeper into creativity. Though Dolores hadn’t hadn’t done a photoshoot of herself like this before, she was not camera shy. Whether clients I work with are comfortable in front of a camera or not, I take time at the beginning of the session to make them feel comfortable by giving them my general plan for the session, complimenting how great they look and just chatting. I aim to make the experience feel like a fun hangout. It should be low-pressure and fun, so clients can relax into the experience instead of feeling self-conscious.

I really appreciate Dolores for sharing the backstory of the session and opening up to me about why she wanted to do this, and it helped inform the direction of the photos. They took on this beautifully somber yet peaceful feel, which portrayed the complex feelings of grief. We even channeled the emotions seen on Telenovelas. I used a light in the beginning of the session to make the sky and colors pop, and as the sun set I switched over to ambient candlelight.

Dolores was awesome to work with as she was open to ideas and getting in the dirt. She even started playing with it, and everything took on a layer of added symbolism and meaning.

At the end of the session just after the sun had set, Dolores blew out the candles to signify the end of this chapter of her life. There was something really magical and healing about this session. It was a beautiful collaboration that helped Dolores honor what was lost and move forward.

Doing unique lifestyle sessions like this are a reminder and inspiration to what’s possible, as the sky really is the limit to what can be photographed. You don’t have to do something cookie cutter, or even something you might see on Pinterest. My goal is to create art out of what makes you different, whether it’s a hobby, passion, job, or an aspect of your identity. The end result is art you can keep and look back on forever, but the experience of creation with you is just as important. It boosts your confidence, and collaborating on creating with someone is so much fun. It’s something I’d recommend you do at least once.

What took this session even further was that Dolores had her favorite images from the session printed and framed to be hung in her home. As a photographer that is one of the highest compliments I can receive. All galleries I deliver have a shop section to make that process super simple, should you decide to make prints. You can pick just about any size, material, and format to print your images, which are sent to professional photo labs and shipped directly to your door in a couple of weeks.

Interested in doing a lifestyle session? Let’s talk! I’ll help you hone your vision and bring it to life, whether you have something specific in mind or need help deciding what to do. I’ll be there for you every step of the way to make it feel authentic to you.