Serene Sunrise Session with Steph | May 2024 | Orchard Glenn

Creative Portraits

Sep 8

Early morning light has always felt like magic to me. In high school, I wrote “The aurorean light is a thin slit in the eyelid of the sky. It graces the tree tops lighting the cool, dark foliage to a bright, exuberant golden.” It’s a tranquil time of day I’ve long adored and learned to appreciate more as I delved into photography.

In May, I had an amusing idea — use a thin plastic sheet during a shoot. I asked for volunteers via Facebook and Steph volunteered! Steph is a spectacularly talented model, intuitive witch, and tarot reader in the Midwest. We met in January during the Parachigo Fashion Workshop she hosted in collaboration with Tyler Frame and Courtney of Carmine & Hayworth.

A portrait of a woman with long orange hair wearing a long red dress. She is standing in a grove of green trees and grass.

A portrait of a woman wearing a long red dress standing in front of a large green tree.

A portrait of a woman with long orange hair holding a clear plastic sheet over her head. She's wearing a red gown with long sleeves while standing in a large grassy area.

We settled on Orchard Glenn in Fargo, North Dakota for our location. Originally, my goal was to capture the trees with blossoms but they were gone by the time of our shoot. Instead, we were graced with lush greens, still glistening with dew. Nature provided a beautiful backdrop for the shoot. The entire landscape shone with a soft, warm glow as the sun rose.

Steph dressed in a flowing, deep red gown contrasting beautifully with the soft greens. We added the plastic drop sheet which functioned as a sheer flowing veil. Steph’s hair, a lovely orange, also created a divine polarity with the early morning blue sky. Overall, these details added an ethereal quality to the images.

An image of a women wearing a long red dress standing in green grass. The sun is shining on her long orange hair and the background is filled with the branches of trees.

An image of a women wearing a long red dress and carrying a clear plastic sheet overhead so that it flows behind her. She's standing in a grassy field and trees are visible in the background.

As we moved through the session, Steph gracefully posed, allowing the natural light to highlight her features and the movement of her dress and veil. Some of the most striking images were those where she stood still, looking into the distance, with the sunrise casting a halo of light around her.

A photo of a woman wearing a long red dress moving between green trees and grass. The skirt of the dress is slightly blurred as she moves.

A blurred photo of a woman walking through grass between trees.

Other shots captured her in motion: walking, lifting her arms, and letting the veil dance in the breeze. These images conveyed a sense of freedom and connection with nature as if she were a part of the sunrise.

Each photograph from this session tells a story. Whether it’s the contemplative stillness of a solitary moment or the magnetic energy of movement, the images capture the serene beauty of the early morning and the elegance of Steph.

A double exposed image of a woman with an overlay of tree branches.

Sunrise sessions require an early start, however, the rewards are worth the effort. The soft, golden light and the tranquil atmosphere create a perfect setting for capturing timeless, evocative images. This session reminded me why I love photography—the ability to freeze a moment in time, capture the fleeting beauty of a sunrise, and tell a story through images.

If you can experience a sunrise photo session, I highly recommend it. There’s a certain magic in the air at that time of day: a magic that, with the right settings and a little creativity, can result in some truly stunning photographs.