In each of our lives we only have so much time and energy to expend. There are only so many things we can say “yes” to before we are tapped out. So we’re faced with carefully selecting which things in our life get a “yes” and which get a “no.” Our brains love the path of least resistance, especially when we’re already tired. As a result, sometimes we find ourselves saying “yes” out of habit and “no” out of a fear of what might happen; After the fact we might realize that our responses should have been the opposite. This year I made a promise to myself that I would be more thoughtful about how I used my yeses and noes. This promise led me to our Palm Springs adventure shoot last month.
Yeses & Noes
One of the things on my “yes” list was doing a little portfolio building so that I could take some time to shoot for me and have some fresh new images to share for the 2018 season. I asked Jenny and Chris if they’d be interested in a portfolio shoot with me in exchange for some new photos.
I had some basic requirements for my portfolio shoot, but outside of that I let Jenny know that she had some freedom as far as location and specifics. Almost right away she said “What if we go shoot in the desert?” … Now. there’s nothing wrong with the desert, but honestly, I’ve never planned an out of town session and I wasn’t familiar with any desert locations. The butterflies in my stomach urged me to throw out a “no” but then I remembered the promise I made to myself. “Yes! Let’s do it!” And I’m so glad did.
Our Palm Springs Adventure
I was drawn to the windmill farm in Palm Springs. There’s something fascinating about the rows and rows of mills lining the road and I was excited to incorporate the scene in our shoot. Collyn and I needed a weekend away too, so we decided to stay in town for the weekend and were able to knock out two birds with one stone. Plus, I got to stay at one of my wishlist hotels, The Saguaro Palm Springs!
We started out our session near the Palm Springs visitor center. There are some nice desert views and Mt. San Jacinto makes for a great backdrop too!
The Windmills
For the second half of our shoot, we stopped for a quick wardrobe change and headed to the windmills. 
At the end of our session I had an image in my head that I wanted to create but I couldn’t quite find the right elements to pull it together. As we started to pull away from the windmills I saw what I was looking for! “There it is, that’s the spot! Stop the car!” We got out and created the shot that was in my head.
We had such a great time photographing Jenny and Chris, they were such great models and made my job so easy! All in all, I’m so glad that I said “Yes” to this project. I’m looking forward to what else 2018 has in store.
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Lovely and vibrant. Such wonderful memories for the happy couple.
My theme for this year is making BOLD decisions, letting my NO be firm, and standing by my YES! Thankful for the reminders that the bold yes can lead to beautiful discoveries (and lovely vacations!)
Wow these are stunning! I need to make more time for myself to do creative work!