Wilmington, North Carolina, wedding photographer Erin Costa and I recently returned from a Parker Pfister creativity workshop in Scotland where we learned to push limits and take chances in our photography. I asked Costa to submit just one image that summed up the week for her. This frame, taken at Duffus Castle near Elgin, Moray, Scotland, is a medieval ruins that frames any image in strength and pride.

As Costa explains: “We hiked to the top of Duffus castle looking for the rest of our group, but once we reached the top, I gave my model (and best friend) Kristen a look and asked: ‘Do you love me?’ She knew she was about to have to do something crazy and in this case, that crazy was to climb up some rocks for me in her long skirt which she did safely and like a champ. As she was getting into place, she threw out her right hand to steady herself and I knew I wanted to work that into her pose (sometimes our clients do the work for us, so use that). I had her lean slightly towards me as was lying on the ground below. I love how fierce she is among the sky and the castle.

(Shot with a Canon 5D Mark IV and 24-70mm f/2.8 lens at 24 mm. ISO 100, f/4 and 1/400 of a sec. in AV mode. Makeup artist: Kristy Preston | Hair: Styled by Wind.)

Check out more Photos of the Day, and email submissions to rangefinder@emeraldexpo.com.