Shooting with Florabelle: From Festival Find to Fast Friends
Every once in a while, you meet someone whose energy just sticks with you. That’s exactly what happened when I came across Florabelle at Under the Big Sky Fest. Between the music, the mountains, and that electric festival atmosphere, Cara stood out. There was something effortless and magnetic about her presence — the kind that makes you immediately start mentally planning a shoot.
So I did what any modern creative does — I hit her up on Instagram.
Cara is based in Missoula, and without hesitation she agreed to make the drive out to Bigfork to create together. That alone told me everything I needed to know about her: committed, adventurous, and down to make something special happen.
Stop One: The Laundromat of My Dreams
We kicked things off at a laundromat I’ve been dying to shoot at forever. It has these insanely cool black-and-checkered floors that feel straight out of a vintage film set. The light hits just right in there — soft, diffused, cinematic. It’s gritty but clean, nostalgic but bold.
Cara brought it. She has this rare ability to shift between softness and strength in seconds. One frame would feel intimate and vulnerable, the next effortlessly rock-and-roll. The contrast between her presence and the structured geometry of the space made for some of my favorite images I’ve captured in a long time.
Wayfarers: Chasing the Light
Next stop was Wayfarers. If you know, you know. The landscape out there always delivers — wide-open skies, layered mountains, and that kind of wind that adds movement you can’t fake.
We leaned into the natural elements here. Letting her hair catch the breeze, playing with distance and scale. There’s something powerful about photographing a musician in an expansive landscape — it feels like you’re capturing both the artist and the world they’re creating within.
Ending in a Pasture with Horses
We wrapped the evening in a pasture surrounded by horses, golden light settling in around us. It felt peaceful and cinematic all at once. There’s a quiet magic to shooting during that last hour of light — everything softens, everything glows.
The horses added this beautiful unpredictability. They’d wander into frame, shift the mood, bring a grounded, earthy energy to the set. Cara fit right into it like she belonged there. No forcing it. Just natural connection.
More Than a Shoot
What started as a “hey, we should collaborate sometime” DM turned into one of those shoots that reminds you why you do this in the first place. It wasn’t just about getting great images (which we absolutely did). It was about creative chemistry. Trust. Flow.
Cara is amazing — as an artist and as a human. Somewhere between the laundromat tiles and the golden pasture light, we went from collaborators to genuine friends.
And honestly? Those are always the best kinds of shoots.
