Striking canyon in the Israeli desert. Sparkling evening gowns covered in sequins, reflecting in the bright summer sun. The day is scorching, but the scenery is too incredible to pass up the opportunity of an stunning fashion shoot.
I will admit that it probably wasn’t the best decision to go into the middle of a desert canyon, in the middle of summer, where there is no shade, in the middle of the day. We were melting, to say the least.
The Location
Canyon Schoret, meaning the Black Canyon is located in the Negev Desert of Israel just about 30 minutes outside of Eilat, Israel’s southernmost city. An incredibly beautiful hike and overall lovely place to visit, Canyon Schoret is truly stunning location, especially for a fashion shoot.
Driving up to the entrance of the “park”, the view is simply breathtaking. Rugged and jagged mountains block our view of anything and everything. They are so overwhelming in their majesty that it is simply impossible to notice anything else. The rainbow of perfectly painted steeps and shadowed rocks provide us with a palette of pinks, reds, browns, and blacks. They are so amazingly intertwined that it is almost unbelievable that so many colors are in one place.
The hike starts off a bit unimpressive. Of course the desert is almost beautiful, but the almost gravel-like rocks and colorless stones only proved to us that even more beautiful things were to come. We walk a bit further, embracing the loud crackling sound the stones crunching beneath our shoes (in my case, fashion heels) We walk in silence as the heat is too stifling.
Slowly the landscape starts to change to the beauty we were imaging. The rocks seem to close in on us, we find a few pieces of shade, and we feel enveloped by the array of cliffs on every side. The black stone are fiery hot in the desert sun.
We look for the perfect balance of beautiful nature, stunning scenery, and our sparkling gowns. Despite the heat, the perfect pictures make their way into our cameras.
The Dresses
As we do with just about all of our photoshoots, whether travel or fashion related, Brooke and I spend much time considering and planning our outfits carefully. We research a location, look at the colors, and plan what with look the best. Whether it is colors meant to blend in and compliment or hues intended to stand out.
We looked at photos of Canyon Schoret mainly from Brooke’s previous hiking trips to the location. We couldn’t help but notice the interest of the colors. Some rocks were pitch black while others were whiter, or cream.
Considering it is called the Black Canyon, we thought it best to include at least one black dress. We looked through our closet and found the perfect fit. A black sequin dress I purchased on my recent trip to Kenya. I didn’t exactly like the fit and so with a few rounds of stitches, I fixed it up to be more tailored, paired it with some black heels and my outfit was set!
The incredibly stunning dress that we chose for Brooke is actually a handmade piece. Brooke designed it for a gala event, but since that evening, it had sadly been tucked away until another such occasion would arise. We couldn’t stand the idea of such a perfectly designed and stunning dress to go to waste, so we pulled it out, imagined what it would look like in the desert and chose.
It was incredible to see the sun reflecting so beautifully against the sequins, making them sparkle to a unreal level.
The silver and black sequins were the perfect combination for the black and silver rocks that embraced us on our “hike” throughout the Black Canyon.
What do you think of our fashion shoot in the desert?
To see more of our fashion creations, check out all of our handmade items here!
Lots of Love,
Danielle and Brooke, Colorful Sisters