Allisson is a scientist. She doesn’t talk much about it, but I’m pretty sure she’s up to some full on breaking bad type stuff. She is quiet, smart, determined, and a pretty good hiker too,
While the rest of us gasped in the heat, each juggling their own particular sherpa-load of equipment and clothes and whatever other weird things models pack in their bags, Allisson glided up and down the hills at Maligne Canyon like Strider skipping through the forests of middle earth.
Allisson approached the water with cat-like precision. The water looked back. The two reached a silent agreement that at no point in the day would she be subjected to unexpected cold, wet, or any other river like things.
A little later, at Medicine Lake, Allisson transformed a merely beautiful landscape into a magically enchanted scene. While I was occupied shooting with the other models, Allisson spotted her place and silently found her way across some very large gaps to reach her final perch–all while wearing a long red evening gown.
It probably took me longer to get to a spot where I could create some photographs of her, than it took Allisson to get out there. Once there, her red gown was simultaneously out of place, and perfectly in balance with the environment. The red carved an edge for the grey stone; reflections streaked through the ripples.
The scourge of pine beetles left its red path on the mountains, providing a perfect backdrop for Allisson.
We were at the right place at the right time. A little golden hour light crept into our corner of the lake. These moments happen quite frequently here, but they are frustratingly brief–sometimes a few minutes, sometimes a few seconds. I snapped at the brief glow while Allisson pondered the wonders of the universe from her granite perch. Or maybe she was just thinking up a new formula for her next chemical breakthrough.
