I met Aliya through TikTok when I stumbled on a video she had made cutting down a troll her made a comment about her not being a cowgirl because she had dreads. I loved her positive attitude and how she used her account to raise others up and show others the "alternative equestrians" are no different than any other equestrian.
She is an incredibly busy and motivated young lady and I was thrilled to catch her in Ohio for a fun photoshoot in Hocking Hills. She and her mother got up well before sunrise (shout out to Aliya's mother, Lacey, for being so awesome) to drive 4 hours to meet me at the trail head of Chapel Cave (aka 21 Horse Cave) with Aliya's barrel horse Dallas.
We hiked about a mile into the forest to reach the cave to start our shoot. I dressed Aliya in a witchy sort of vibe and we worked our way back to our vehicles over several hours, stopping and shooting whenever a location caught my eye.
I love everything about these photos and love following Aliya as she takes on the equestrian world.
