Last Spring I was asked by Agape Ballet to create an image for their upcoming Ballet Production of Sleeping Beauty. Always one to love anything to do with fairytales I began to gather ideas. Schedules were very tight with the ballerinas, and also my own schedule was leaving few openings, so we were quite dismayed to discover RAIN in the forecast the day the shoot was planned. Since scheduling was so challenging we decided to go ahead with it anyways. We used plastic, ballet tutu dress bags for the dancer to lay on the grass and I photographed in between little rainstorms, in my boots carefully stepping around piles of mud to get the perfect shot. 

We had Corrinne lay in grass (which was wet) though it was covered with the clear plastic dress bags so that would later look like reflected dew drops..

We picked fresh flowers from a few locations. I live in a forest, so I clipped a bunch of pretty yellow flowers from an overflowing tree in my yard, then I grabbed fresh cut ivy which was also overflowing near my house in the Forest of Nisene Marks. The rest of the flowers, were actually silk flowers mixed in along with the fresh ones. Though I hope to re-create another Sleeping Beauty Bridal Shoot with fresh flowers in the near future. The silk ones seemed to work having had less than 2 weeks to plan for the shoot due to time constraints. 

She lay in the grass, feeling rather cold I imagine as the air was quite moist.  We were worried that mud from the rain would get on her beautiful tutu and pointe shoes. 

Finding the pose to make it appear you are totally sleeping and dreaming in an enchanted slumber is quite challenging when you are awake and its slightly misty and cold, so we changed positions quite a few times. This meant all the vines, leaves, and flowers had to be moved, while keeping the plastic liner undeneath her from filling with water and getting her soaked... 

When editing, I decided an enchanted reflection pond was truly what we needed to add a final touch of magic.

Halfway through, it began to actually RAIN on us. The sleeping ballerina immediately jumped up, and luckily Melanie (the owner of Agape Dance) was there with her umbrella.... 

We decided that we were done....  (Except the Lavender Fairy was due to arrive) It rained for about ten more minutes, leaving lots of MUD everywhere and I had to place clear ziplock baggies over top my on-location lighting.

Finally the Rain stopped, The Sleeping Beauty got to put on a nice warm coat and we reconvened during another break between the sprinkles. A note about rain, while it makes for cold, shivering models, the clouds create the most amazing, soft, filtered light and dreamy coloring. Shooting with fog lighting after the rain, while the fresh smell of the earth fills your sense of smell is quite decadent. Meanwhile, the rain stopped and I set up another area for the next Ballerina.

Though, We quickly discovered it was very difficult to go on POINTE in soft green grass, where it could be muddy and STILL manage to see the Ballet Shoes....

How does a Ballerina POSE and DANCE in the grass wet with rain without getting her POINTE Shoes ruined & what sort of dance moves to do?

Luckily, Melanie had some good ideas.

It proved quite challenging to get the correct positioning, so it ended up that we decided to put the Ballerina in a nearby tree...

This worked much to my delight, as we could quite clearly see her pointe shoes, and didn't have to worry about mud. Besides, since she was wearing Fairy Wings, it seemed quite fitting for her to be in a tree, as if truly a magical enchanted lavender Fairy....

I'm not sure exactly what happened to the Pointe shoes.... My little daughters loved the Show...