For those of you who live in Florida or have visited, you know that our fall and winter seasons lack the typical colors everyone associates with them: red, yellow, orange, auburn, brown and our favorite – snowy white.

But who is to say that we can’t make it appear that way in photos? The modern-day marvel called Photoshop lets you create pretty much anything you want – images that were once impossible or, at the least, very difficult and time consuming prior to our digitally-run world of today. Anyone who masters Photoshop can change the colors and hues, blend two or more images together seamlessly, highlight particular areas to bring the viewer’s attention and focus directly to it, eliminate distractions, add elements that were never there… Speaking of which, do you see that squirrel the model is looking at? Well, you see it, but she didn’t. The squirrel was not in that particular shot. The critter was in another photograph I took, but as is usual with me, I decided not to waste the opportunity of creating a more interesting image for the viewer to enjoy.

The models, Solange Sanchez and Yi Christina Liu, couldn’t have had better attitudes towards my unusual request to wear heavy winter coats, warm scarves, gloves and boots during a hot Florida day. Despite our 80 degree weather and a bright sun blazing down on us, these Florida models wrapped themselves up as if we were in New York’s famous Central Park on a cold, autumn day. And I couldn’t have been more grateful. If it wouldn’t have been for these professionals’ willingness to be uncomfortable and look somewhat out-of-place in the middle of downtown Orlando, these fantastic images we created together would have never existed.

Without a doubt, the photographer’s vision is an important aspect as well. I created these images in my head and planned the different elements that I needed to put them together long before I met with the models at the photo-shoot location. Attention to detail during the planning stage is a must – get all of the pieces of the puzzle ready before you sit down to put them together.