Superstitions with Alabama (Patreon)

Alabama Deerest (@alabamadeerest) actually already had a shoot day booked with me while I was out in Arizona, but I ended up getting into town early and had one extra opening. I had this location deep in the Superstition Mountains that I’d been wanting to shoot for a while, so I hit her up and basically said, “I know this is a hike, but I think this spot could be insane.”

What these photos don’t show is how ridiculously windy it was up there. Like… borderline hard-to-stand-up windy. And halfway through getting to the spot I found out she’s genuinely scared of heights, which definitely added a little extra chaos to the whole thing.

Honestly though, moments like that are why being able to communicate with models matters way more than people realize. A lot of photography isn’t camera settings — it’s trust. If someone doesn’t feel comfortable, confident, or safe, the photos usually fall apart before you even press the shutter. We still would’ve made something cool no matter what, but this specific vision probably wouldn’t have existed if she hadn’t pushed through it.

The funny part is this set accidentally ended up having this super vintage outlaw pinup energy to it. Between the old revolver, the sunset light, the black cowboy hat, and even the tiny details you don’t notice right away, it almost feels like a modern version of an old desert pulp magazine cover.