Trees, Water and Fire: Roksi, Quietly Wild
The first time Roksi and I worked together, it was for the cover of her book. A shoot with a purpose, a brief, a final image to aim for. This time there was no brief at all, it was just for her. No cover to fill, no message to get across, only space to slow down, wander, and let the light lead.
We spent it moving from woodland to meadow to sea, ending by a fire on the beach as night came in. Cold air, bare feet, and a lot of freedom, also for me to experiment with photography techniques.
Trees
We started among the old oaks. Twisted limbs, thick with moss, branches that bend low enough to climb onto and lie back in. Roksi kicked off her shoes almost straight away. Bare feet on bark, eyes closed, face tipped up to the canopy. I barely had to say a word. She just settled into the trees as if she’d always belonged there.
That’s the thing I love most about working with Roksi. She doesn’t perform for the camera. She listens to herself and the place she’s in. Some frames feel like rest, some are playful, and all of them feel honest.
Later, she let go of the last layer too, reaching up into the branches with nothing between her skin and the cold air. No drama, no pose. Just a body in nature, as natural as the tree she was standing on.
Grass
Beyond the oaks, the woodland opened into a meadow of long, dry grass, pale gold against all that green. This is where Roksi really let go. She wrapped her arms around herself and tipped her face to the sky, laughing, hair caught in the wind. At one point she simply disappeared into the grass, only her hands and bare feet kicking up above it. That’s when my neighbour’s dog came bouncing through the grass to say hello, and suddenly there was a lot more laughing.
Some of these frames are soft and blurred, more feeling than detail. That’s exactly how that part of the day felt: warm, a little giddy, and gone in a moment.
Water
We finished the day on the beach, just as the light turned blue, much later than we planned. Grey sky, cold sand, the sea breathing in and out. Roksi walked down to the water’s edge with nothing on, her reflection stretching out behind her on the wet sand. Lights were coming on in the houses across the bay, and she just stood there, facing the sea, completely at ease in the cold.
Fire
Then we dug a little fire into the sand. As the dark came in, everything turned warm and glowing. Roksi wrapped up in a chunky red jumper, then a patterned poncho, and curled up beside the flames. There was laughter, a bit of wild dancing, and some very quiet moments too: kneeling by the fire, eyes down, hands resting together, the flames reflected above her like a dream.
Fire and cold together make a contrast I never get tired of. Blue night, orange glow. Wild, but calm. Bright, but soft at the edges. I played with using my prism and we got some fun results with the reflection of fire.
Freedom
We decided to just have fun and do whatever came to our mind and this way we had freedom from posing, from rushing, from looking a certain way. At the beach I shot in complete darkness at ISO 128000 which is crazy.
Freedom is what I hope you feel looking at these images. Not a photoshoot, but a day spent in nature with someone who sees you.
Roksi, thank you for coming back for round two, and for trusting me with so much of yourself. I can’t wait to see where we wander next.
Your Own Light of Her Session
If you’ve been longing for a shoot that feels more like time in nature than time in front of a camera, I’d love to hear from you. We’ll find the right place, go at your pace, and see where the day takes us. Clothes on, clothes off, or somewhere in between, it’s always your choice.
