Katie’s World And A Surprise!

Back in June, I discovered the snow trees at one of the local forests I frequent.  As I walked along, truly in awe, feeling like I had accidentally stumbled into Narnia, I discovered more and more magical beauty.  Eventually I made my way into this little hidden meadow.

I don’t remember how I discovered it actually; it’s right off the wide footpath but you have to push through several yards of thick, high prickly bur-bushes.  Bur-bushes probably have a very different actual name, but I almost never know plant names ahead of time and I have to make up ones to remember them by.  In case of the bur-bushes, they grow huge burs with talon-like spikes which will cling to almost anything, delighting in making their way into your shoes or Calantha’s pads.  Ouch.

Once you get past the bur-bushes though, it became a completely different world.  I honestly felt like I was in a movie, discovering an uncharted, ethereal land.  We’ve already discussed my knowledge of local plant names, but I did recognize tons of queen anne’s lace, delicate and fragile-looking, between shocks of vividly hues flowers.  It was like a sunset had grown there.

I had already shot there with Dedeker recently, so when I went back with Katie a few days later, I knew I wanted to use the meadow… I just wasn’t sure exactly how.  It was obvious to me that it belonged in DreamWorld, but I didn’t have a character built around it.  But, I decided, not every DreamWorld photo has to be an elaborate character I spend months creating, some are just little scenes.  Vignettes, if you will, glimpsed for a second and captured forever in a photo.

So I told Katie to just go frolic.  One of the things that makes her so wonderful to work with is that she is equally skilled at following precise direction, holding very uncomfortable poses for as long as you need as well as improvising.  I would have never thought to ask her to do most of the things she came up with on her own, and I adored every frame.  I very, very rarely edit more than one photo from each set, but I made an exception here.  There were too many gorgeous moments, too many mouth-watering colors, too many beautiful flowers, too much sensual female beauty.  I managed to pare it down to what you see here, but even with this final selections, it was very difficult to choose!

Christina’s World, by Andrew Wyeth

At one point Katie mentioned how some of the photos felt similar to the painting Christina’s World, by Andrew Wyeth.  I had been unfamiliar with the painting, but agreed when she showed it to me on her phone.  When it came time to name the series, I had no idea what to call it at first, since the DreamWorld titles usually come from the characters they display.  Then I remembered our conversation, and since so much of what I love about these photos is due to Katie’s work, I went with Katie’s World.

Before I leave you to enjoying the photos, here’s your surprise!

My new calendar is ready!  Adorn your wall with 12 of my most popular images from the last year and bring a little extra magic into your everyday 🙂  Do I even need to point out what an excellent gift this makes?  Red Bubble creates really quality items; I’ve had several calendars from them (as well as other things) and I love the thick, solid paper this is printed on.  So go get one!

And now may I present… Katie’s World!  If you feel like letting me know which one/s is/are your favorite, I’d love to hear it!

Katie’s World 1

Katie’s World 2

Katie’s World 3

Katie’s World 4

Katie’s World 5

Katie’s World 6

Katie’s World 7

Katie’s World 8

Katie’s World 9

Katie’s World 10

Katie’s World 11

Katie’s World 12

Katie’s World 13