Nox Velum
Iowa alt photography / 26 photos

Taylor at Ledges State Park, Iowa

A fall morning at Ledges State Park with my friend Taylor, one of the kindest and most collaborative people I've ever worked with.

Model: Taylor (@sunshinexxmoon on Instagram, @sunflowerxxdoll on TikTok), Iowa / Shot on Fujifilm X-T4

Ledges State Park, Madrid, IA

A long friendship

Taylor and I have been friends for a long time, ever since I moved to the Midwest, and we've shot together multiple times. She is amazingly talented and one of the kindest, most collaborative people I've ever met.

These are from a fall morning at Ledges State Park in Iowa. The photos cover just under an hour, moving from a picnic table to a road and a bridge to an old stone building, and the clip at the top of this page is Taylor walking through the creek.

The picnic table came first, on a Viltrox 75mm at f/1.2. That lens turns the sun through the trees into soft circles behind Taylor. The two black and white frames that go completely out of focus are in here because the shape is enough on its own.

Taylor sits on a picnic bench in a white shirt with one leg crossed, stretching a long gray sock over her foot and smiling at the camera, her mustard skirt beside her and fallen leaves all around.
Pulling Up a SockFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 75/1.2 XF / 75mm / f/1.2 / 1/800 s / ISO 640
Taylor sits sideways on a green picnic table in a white shirt, one leg stretched down to the bench, looking back at the camera with sunlit trees glowing behind her at Ledges State Park in Iowa.
Table SeatFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 75/1.2 XF / 75mm / f/1.2 / 1/850 s / ISO 640
Taylor stands barefoot against a picnic table on fallen leaves, holding her white shirt open and looking down, with soft circles of sunlight in the trees behind her.
Open ShirtFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 75/1.2 XF / 75mm / f/1.2 / 1/640 s / ISO 640
Black and white, fully out-of-focus photo of Taylor standing in front of a picnic table in an open white shirt, her shape clear against dark leaves.
Soft FocusFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 75/1.2 XF / 75mm / f/1.2 / 1/750 s / ISO 640
Taylor stands barefoot on top of a picnic table with her back to the camera, one arm raised to hold a branch, tattoos on the backs of her thighs and autumn leaves on the ground.
Reaching for the BranchFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 75/1.2 XF / 75mm / f/1.2 / 1/950 s / ISO 640
Black and white photo of Taylor from behind, standing on a picnic table on her toes in a white shirt, reaching up to a branch with sunlit leaves behind her.
Up on the TableFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 75/1.2 XF / 75mm / f/1.2 / 1/950 s / ISO 640
Full view of Taylor standing on top of a picnic table with her arm raised to a branch, smiling back over her shoulder, a dark green wall of trees behind her at Ledges State Park.
Glance BackFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 75/1.2 XF / 75mm / f/1.2 / 1/950 s / ISO 640
Taylor stands on a picnic table holding a branch overhead and looks down over her shoulder with her eyes closed and a small smile, in a white shirt with leaves glowing behind her.
Over the ShoulderFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 75/1.2 XF / 75mm / f/1.2 / 1/1000 s / ISO 640
Black and white, fully out-of-focus photo of Taylor standing on a picnic table with one arm raised into the branches overhead.
Only the ShapeFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 75/1.2 XF / 75mm / f/1.2 / 1/800 s / ISO 640
Side view of Taylor in a long lunge with one foot on a picnic table and the other on its bench, rolling up the sleeve of her white shirt, with tattoos on her forearm and legs.
The LungeFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 75/1.2 XF / 75mm / f/1.2 / 1/500 s / ISO 640
Taylor leans across a green picnic table on one knee and smiles back at the camera, with her other leg stretched to the fallen leaves and bright trees behind her.
Leaning InFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 27/1.2 XF / 27mm / f/1.2 / 1/480 s / ISO 640
Taylor leans over a green picnic table on one knee and peeks back at the camera through her hair, her long leg stretched down to the fallen leaves.
Hair Across the EyeFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 27/1.2 XF / 27mm / f/1.2 / 1/480 s / ISO 640

Doors and windows

Then the road and the bridge, with an umbrella covered in Des Moines Register pages and the sun coming through it.

The old stone building was the last stop, on a 27mm. It's a great place to shoot: the doorway frames a window, and the window frames whoever is standing in it. Most of these play with that, moving between the doorway, the window and the field outside.

Taylor stands beside a concrete bridge railing on an empty Iowa road in a tan bodysuit and mustard skirt, smiling at the camera with a closed Des Moines Register umbrella in one hand under a clear blue sky.
RoadsideFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 27/1.2 XF / 27mm / f/1.2 / 1/8500 s / ISO 640
Taylor sits on a concrete bridge railing in a tan bodysuit, mustard skirt and gray over-the-knee socks, looking down under a backlit umbrella printed with Des Moines Register pages, with dark trees behind her.
Register UmbrellaFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 27/1.2 XF / 27mm / f/1.2 / 1/320 s / ISO 640
Seen through a window in an old stone building, Taylor stands in tall autumn grass in a tan bodysuit and mustard skirt, smiling back at the camera, with a weathered roof beam crossing the top of the frame.
Through the WindowFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 27/1.2 XF / 27mm / f/1.2 / 1/1250 s / ISO 640
Wide view of an old stone building at Ledges State Park with a worn shingle roof. Through its doorway, Taylor leans at an inner window in a mustard skirt and looks back at the camera.
Looking BackFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 27/1.2 XF / 27mm / f/1.2 / 1/640 s / ISO 640
Through the doorway of a stone building, Taylor stands against an inner wall in front of a bright window, tugging at her mustard skirt and looking back over her shoulder, with green plants in the foreground.
Frames in FramesFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 27/1.2 XF / 27mm / f/1.2 / 1/750 s / ISO 640
Through the doorway of a stone building with a worn shingle roof, Taylor stands at a bright inner window with her back to the camera and her mustard skirt tugged down at her hips.
At the Far WindowFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 27/1.2 XF / 27mm / f/1.2 / 1/640 s / ISO 640
Taylor stands in the stone building in a tan bodysuit and gray socks, framed by the doorway and a bright window, looking down as she tugs at her mustard skirt, with grass in soft focus in front of her.
Sunlight on the FloorFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 27/1.2 XF / 27mm / f/1.2 / 1/640 s / ISO 640
Closer view through the stone doorway of Taylor looking down and tugging at her mustard skirt, long hair falling forward and sunlight patches on the concrete floor.
Inside the DoorwayFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 27/1.2 XF / 27mm / f/1.2 / 1/320 s / ISO 640
Taylor stands in a tan bodysuit and gray socks with her back to the camera, seen through a stone doorway, her arms raised against the sides of a bright window.
Arms UpFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 27/1.2 XF / 27mm / f/1.2 / 1/340 s / ISO 640
Through a stone doorway, Taylor faces a bright inner window with both arms raised against it and one knee lifted to the wall, in a tan bodysuit and gray socks.
One Knee UpFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 27/1.2 XF / 27mm / f/1.2 / 1/400 s / ISO 640
Taylor sits in a stone window in a tan bodysuit and gray over-the-knee socks, one hand on the frame, looking at the camera with bright fields behind her.
On the SillFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 27/1.2 XF / 27mm / f/1.2 / 1/500 s / ISO 640
Taylor kneels on a stone window sill with her back to the camera, gripping the top of the frame in a tan bodysuit, her long dark hair against the bright window.
Kneeling in the WindowFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 27/1.2 XF / 27mm / f/1.2 / 1/350 s / ISO 640

Follow Taylor

You can follow Taylor at @sunshinexxmoon on Instagram and @sunflowerxxdoll on TikTok.

Got a spot in Iowa or an idea you want to try? Read the model call or get in touch.

Side view of Taylor sitting in a stone window with her knees drawn up, looking out at a bright field, her mustard skirt folded on the sill beneath her.
Looking OutFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 27/1.2 XF / 27mm / f/1.2 / 1/400 s / ISO 640
Taylor sits on a concrete floor in a stone doorway with one knee up, holding a strand of her hair out to the side and looking up, green trees glowing behind her.
Looking UpFujifilm X-T4 / Viltrox AF 27/1.2 XF / 27mm / f/1.2 / 1/300 s / ISO 640

Palette

Five colors pulled from these photos. Click one to copy it, then go make something.

Location

Ledges State Park

1515 P Ave, Madrid, IA 50156

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Next editorialSaige at the Guthrie →

Collaborate in Minnesota, Iowa or South Dakota

I make alt, editorial and fashion photographs with people in Minneapolis, Saint Paul and across Minnesota, Iowa and South Dakota. Models, makeup artists, stylists, designers and other creatives are welcome to reach out.

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