Modeling in a Death Valley ghost town
Welcome to a Ruined Life by Richard Lewis 2015
Just outside of Death Valley National Park is an old ghost town called Rhyolite. It is near the funky little city of Beatty, Nevada. The old buildings are a popular place to photograph. We stopped at Rhyolite, but the flat light from a rare fully overcast sky just wasn’t making for compelling photography.
Then I saw Aly. She and a friend were modeling for some photographers. When they took a break, I approached and asked if I could photograph them. Aly said she could give me a little time, so I posed her by one of the old buildings that had a lot of graffiti. The tattoo on her chest worked well with that in the background.
The few minutes I had to work with her were a lot of fun. You have to love a good model. Aly followed directions and did some nice improvisations. You can see, she wasn’t dressed for a cold and windy day, yet she never showed how cold she was until we were done and she ran to her car to warm up.
There is nothing like a chance encounter to make a questionable photography day a good one.
Enjoy
Good for you on getting in on the action here! Proof that it never hurts to ask. (Note to self: add Rhyolite, Nevada to bucket list.)
Rhyolite and Death Valley needs to be on the bucket list of yours.
Nice! We are going on a big trip out west in Sept. We are driving from Las Vegas to Yosemite and Rhyolite is on my list!
Sounds like a great trip. I hope you get to go to Death Valley and spend some time in the Eastern Sierras. You will be treated to some great photography.