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August’s photo shoot, Old Town, portrays the women inhabitants of the old western town as independent, confident, well dressed and each with a story. The final edits from the shoot are still being done, those images will be featured in the next newsletter.
Knowing we would be on location at the Yellowstone Film Ranch, we styled our imagery on first hand accounts from family documents and photos of life in Eastern Montana and historical fiction (My Antonia by Willa Cather and Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes)
What I find most compelling in all the stories are the obstacles women had to overcome socially and physically, finding that not all are cut out for a life that requires grit and knowhow.
What were the circumstances that got them there? Women would have traveled out west with their families or husbands. Some married to escape with the hope of a better life. Women would not have headed west on their own or a “girls trip” with friends. So much of the time we see the saloon girls, which are fun to costume and certainly an icon of the wild west, but in reality that was a very dangerous unglamorous life, with diseases, abuse and early death. This was not a career path most women chose for themselves.
The West is full of pioneer women that overcame difficulties and discomfort for a life rich with family, hope and prosperity. These are the women we wanted to portray in Old Town.
Pictured above: Stephania Prieto, styled by Fiona Story is dressed in traditional men’s clothing. Secure in her femininity, she will ride, move cattle, mend a fence, sleep and cook by campfire.
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