A Magical Midsummer Photoshoot in the Mountains

Rachael Shine
Jul 3
4 min read

Learn About our Amazing Photoshoot to Celebrate Summer.

Overhead view of a person floating in dark water surrounded by lily pads. Ripples and soft light create a peaceful, serene mood.

I had the amazing pleasure of working with Makea to be a part of her Pagan holiday series! If you haven't guessed, the one I was lucky enough to be a part of was Midsummer. If you're anything like me, you immediately thought of the movie by a similar name, Midsommar. That is exactly the holiday we were going for, without the horror movie vibe! I personally think we did pretty great and also embodied womanhood through these photos. We also managed to capture two other themes while we were working on this, a warrior queen, and lady of the lake!

A woman in a white dress and floral headpiece poses serenely by a lake, eyes closed. Forest background, black and white theme.

Preparing for the Photoshoot

Makea knew exactly what she wanted for this photoshoot and I applaud her. I was able to provide some input on the location and which dress to wear, but 95% of the work was all her! She even hand made her flower crown and brought the sword for Lady of the Lake. I was able to contribute a dagger, crown, and a whole bottle of bug spray.

Woman with red hair wearing a floral crown, in a white dress, posing outdoors. Soft expression, blurred green background.

For the location we both knew that lily pads were the way to go. She had used an open field for her Beltane photoshoot, so using a lake would make sure that this photoshoot fit the theme, but didn't look to similar to previous holidays in her series. Little did we know, that lily pads and all the pretty little flowers on the ground prefer to grow in marsh like conditions. Do you know what else really likes these conditions? Mosquitos. You know what really sucks to deal with while shooting? Mosquitos. Buuuuut, you know what makes magical little fairy lights when backlit? Mosquitos.

Connecting with the Pagan Spirit

Okay, so we want to capture Midsummer, without looking like we are putting our ex in a bear suit and joining a Swedish, how do we do that? Well, a great place to start is by understanding Midsummer. So, what is it? Midsummer is a holiday to celebrate summer! It is usually situated within a few days of the Summer Solstice, usually starting the day before with festivities lasting through the night into the solstice.

Woman with a floral crown and flowing red hair stands in a grassy field by a river, holding a vintage mirror. Forest background under blue sky.

How do you celebrate? This holiday is celebrated by so many different cultures, but most traditions stem from Pagan and Christian practices. Popular festivities can include bonfires, singing, dancing, drinking, collecting flowers, and unfortunately cleaning house. The solstice is seen as a time of good fortune and healing, so being loud and bright is thought to scare away bad spirits. As much as I would have loved doing a bonfire, that wouldn't have been super kind to nature or the campers. So we decided to stick more to picking flowers and dancing in the sun.

The Photoshoot Experience

The drive up to the lake was absolutely gorgeous! There's even a nudist camp on the way if you're into that. It's mostly a windy canyon drive where you slowly climb up the mountain until you hit the pine trees. As mentioned, there are so many bugs, but that is something that comes with the territory of outdoor shoots. But the trees and the bugs provided the perfect backdrop for letting the sun peek through in such beautiful ways.

Woman in a white dress kneels in a lake with a staff. Her long red hair contrasts with calm water. Forest in the background. Peaceful scene.

During the photoshoot I got to bring out my drone and practice getting some shots with it! This resulted in the overhead shots we got. This presented some unique challenges. This shoot was Makea's first time posing while floating in water, which is much harder than you would think if you haven't done it, and there was quite a bit of wind to deal

with that kept pushing around the drone. Thank goodness we overcame this and managed to create so much art!

Red-haired woman with crown and tattoo gazes pensively over water, holding a sword. Lace dress against blurred background.

While we were planning we realized that we had all the material to do a Lady of the Lake photoshoot as well! The Midsummer concept was first priority of course, but it was so fun being able to play with a sword and crown. While we were walking around to the other side of the lake so follow the light, we found a cute little meadow filled with flowers and HAD to shoot there. That is how we got the gorgeous warrior queen images! Little did we know how STUNNING all of the images would turn out. Makea got to live every girl's dream of putting on a pretty dress and swinging a sword around.

Woman in a long white dress standing in a forest meadow, holding a small dagger. Her hair is highlighted by sunlight. Calm and serene setting.

Red-haired woman in white dress and flower crown, gazing down with a peaceful expression. Windblown hair. Clear blue sky background.

Conclusion

This photoshoot was such a blast and such an honor to work with Makea. If you would like to see more of her work, or follow this series, please check out her Instagram!

Thank you so much for hearing what I have to say about this photoshoot and Rachael Shine Photography! If you think we might get along and you want to work with me check out my pricing or just contact me!

And last, but definitely not least, PLEASE remember to leave no trace! Client, photographer, adventurer, not matter what, help protect the beauty that is the great outdoors.