the vision


I've been sitting on these since April, partly because life with a newborn is crazy, partly because I wasn't ready to stop looking at them myself. This was the first shoot I planned after having my baby. Originally, I actually wanted to do these BEFORE giving birth, but a couple kidney stones and freezing temperatures in Charleston made that a little difficult. I had my daughter on February 25, and these photos ended up being taken on April 12. That's the longest I've gone without picking up my camera in years, and by then I was itching to make something. Not for a client, not on a timeline, just an idea that had been sitting in my head through all those late nights. It started with a dress: a rust-colored satin gown from Joyfolie with big billowy sleeves and a skirt that seems to have its own weather system. I purchased it months prior, not knowing exactly when it would be used. All I knew was it needed open space, evening light, and wind: Folly was the obvious answer.


I put out some feelers for models, and Lauren, Draya, and Mandy were immediately interested. Daniel Wilson came out to shoot too, and we spent the evening swapping models back and forth, which made it feel less like a solo mission and more like the creative night out I'd been missing.

golden hour and the horde of bugs


We picked an evening in April and headed to the north end of Folly, where the rocks meet the water and the Morris Island Lighthouse sits out on the horizon. The weather was perfect. Warm but not humid, the sky going peach into blue, and a light breeze coming off the ocean.


The bugs, unfortunately, had the same idea. I've lived here long enough to know what April at the beach means and I still wasn't ready for it. The no-see-ums were out in full force, and a group of people standing around at dusk is basically an open invitation. Between frames we were laughing, swatting, and complaining about them nonstop, but then the second one of us lifted a camera, whoever was in front of it would lock in and give us the calmest, dreamiest expression like nothing was happening. Models are truly amazing, because I wouldn't have been able to pull that off without scratching at my 8 million bug bites the entire time.

A woman at sunset leaning against driftwood
A woman in a rust colored dress laying in the water
A woman in a red dress with the sun glowing behind her amidst the driftwood

shaking off the rust


I'll admit the first few frames felt rusty. Two months is enough time to forget where your settings live, and I fumbled a bit while the light was still high. But having three of them out there let me play, and playing is how I always find my way back. Draya wore the same Joyfolie gown as Lauren but in a soft stone color, which read completely differently against the water - quieter, almost like she was part of the sand and sky. Mandy wore a deep red flying dress, the extra-long kind made for exactly this, and every time she threw it the whole thing hung in the air for a second before coming back to earth. Somewhere between the bugs in my hair and the beautiful women in front of me, I stopped thinking about the camera and just started shooting again.

A woman in a flowing rust colored dress at sunset. She stands upon the rocks with the ocean and Morris Island lighthouse behind her.

the one


Towards the end of the evening, Lauren climbed up onto the rocks in the rust dress and got into a rhythm of gathering up the skirt, throwing it into the wind, and settling into a pose as it came down. I just stayed on the shutter.


And then this frame happened. She tossed the skirt and the wind caught all of it at once and pulled it out over the water. The lighthouse was tucked into the corner, the light was soft and warm, and Lauren had her hand in her hair with her eyes half closed like she was somewhere else entirely. I looked at the back of the camera and got that little flutter I'm always chasing.


I don't say this often, but I think this is one of the best photos I've taken. I went into this evening hoping to remember what it felt like to make something that was just mine, and I walked out with this. It's the kind of image that reminds me why I picked up a camera to begin with, and I'm glad it was the one waiting for me on the other side.

We stayed until the light was gone and the bugs had officially won, then walked back to the cars scratching our arms and still laughing. Worth it.


Here's the rest of the evening. I hope you love them as much as I do.

Woman in flowing rust-colored satin gown standing on rocky shore at sunset with ocean backdrop.
Woman in flowing beige gown poses against driftwood on a serene beach at golden hour with ocean backdrop
Woman in flowing dark red gown poses dramatically on sandy beach at golden sunset near driftwood.
Three women in elegant flowing gowns pose by driftwood on a beach at sunset.
Woman in red dress sitting on sandy beach at sunset with driftwood and calm ocean waves behind her.
Black and white photo of laughing woman in flowing satin dress walking on sunlit sandy beach.
Woman in rust satin off-shoulder gown with train walks barefoot on beach at dusk near lighthouse.
Three women in elegant rust, burgundy, and taupe gowns pose together at golden hour on a sandy beach.
Blonde woman in flowing burgundy gown posing beside driftwood tree on serene ocean beach at sunset.
Woman in stone colored off-shoulder gown with curly hair smiling over shoulder at golden hour beach.
Woman in billowing rust satin gown stands on rocky shore at sunset, dress flowing in the wind.
Woman in deep red halter gown stands waist-deep in calm ocean water at dusk, hand in hair.
Woman in flowing champagne off-shoulder gown poses gracefully at sunset on a sandy desert beach.
Woman in flowing rust gown dances on coastal rocks at dusk with lighthouse visible in background.
Two women in elegant gowns pose on driftwood at beach sunset with lighthouse in the distance.