Fine Art and Edgy Fashion Photo Day at the Pumphouse on May 17th with models Lavish Crystal and Dakota Lee

Image Credits below, from left: EyeforDecay, Meestermang, and the remaining are by EyeforDecay

Hello Photographers! I am super excited to announce my late Spring photo event at a fabulous private location: The Pumphouse, which is near Allentown, PA on May 17th, 2025. This location boasts a very large indoor industrial building as well as a fantastic outdoor location with a school bus and fire truck included. This is a location I am booking and have full access to, meaning no sneaking onto the property or worrying if we are allowed on the private property.

This is currently a four hour event, from 9 am-1 pm with two models are highly professional in their field. Crystal is a model with a great posing ability and strong look, and is fairly new to the professional modeling scene, and Dakota is a model with years of experience and has worked at the Pumphouse several times. We will be working with edgy fashion concepts that fit the cool industrial and urbex vibe of the location and we will also be working with the fine art figure. If a photographer in attendance would like to bring some wardrobe or prop options, that is absolutely allowed, but first please reach out to Dakota at msdakotalee@gmail.com to discuss details. Lighting at the Pumphouse indoors is low, dark and moody.

The structure of the event is as follows: We will have two groups of four photographers each group (for a total of 8 photographers). We will have the two models in different areas of the location with one model in the Pumphouse and the other model outside where the old school bus and other great props are. We split up the photographer groups with one group going into the pumphouse and the other staying outside. We will do a set amount of time for the groups to shoot their station, then we rotate the groups. This way, everyone has a chance to work with each model and at all areas of the Pumphouse. For the last 45 minutes or so, we will have the models posing together, most likely in the Pumphouse. We do not do paparazzi style and operate on a rotating timer. When we have the models working together we will likely do two people shooting at a time and rotate until everyone get a chance to be lead photographer/duo photographer.

For any questions about the event, please reach out at msdakotalee@gmail.com.

IF the 9 am to 1 pm time slot sells out, we will be adding another timeslot for 2-6 pm but that is only IF we sell out the 9 am to 1 pm timeframe.

Equipment needed: Just your camera and lens or lenses. You are welcome to bring your own lights. I will be bringing a light or two, battery operated, for indoor and especially for the lower area of the Pumphouse. A tripod might be helpful for indoors in the lower light settings. Bring a lens good for both tighter spaces and for larger areas. A good zoom lens or a couple different fixed lens options (such as a 35mm and an 85mm or 105mm) should do the trick.

To view more of Lavish Crystal’s work, check out her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lavishxxcrystal?igsh=MXY5a2tvbWNuM3kxdQ==

Dakota’s portfolio can be found on her website: dakotalee.net

Photo credits of Dakota from top left: Paul Ward, Bravo Mike, E. E. McCollum, Anonymous

Photo credits of Crystal from bottom left: Peterson Photography, Deep Clarity Photo, Lionel Madiou, Lionel Madiou

In the morning, we will all meet at the meeting point at 8:30 am to give people plenty of time to arrive and exchange introductions. The pumphouse has no physical address, so the groundskeeper will meet us at the meeting point and then we will all drive in together. The Pumphouse is just a few blocks away. The groundskeeper will go over rules and a brief history of the location then we will get right to shooting.

This event will involve working in an area with no air conditioning nor heating, however the weather during May should be quite mild and comfortable. There is a port-a-potty for the bathroom. The property is well maintained, however there is always some risk associated with urbex locations. Please be aware you will be walking in an industrial building meant to be dirty and old. Wear comfortable, closed-toed shoes and long pants (the location is rusty!).

Food is not included, however Dakota will have bottled water and some light snacks available, so please bring food if you require a larger meal.

When and Where: May 17th, with the space booked starting at 9 am in Phillipsburg, New Jersey which is about 30 mins outside of Allentown, PA. Exact location given only to those who sign up for the event.

I will be staying at a hotel the night before in Allentown, PA, and for those who are coming from out of town, I’d recommend getting accommodations in Allentown or Phillipsburg, NJ as well. We can start a Facebook group to exchange ideas for the shoot and travel recommendations. If you are flying in, I’d recommend checking out Lehigh International Airport for flights.

Cost: $295.00 for the event. You can reach out to me at msdakotalee@gmail.com to discuss payment options to avoid a service fee. If you would like to pay via this website with your credit card, you can do so HERE (CLICK LINK) but there is a $20.00 service fee to do so (my apologies for the service fee- Stripe service fees for CC’s are very high).

Refunds only if event cancels or someone is able to replace you. That said, as long as you cancel no sooner than 48 hours from the time of the event, if you are unable to attend and no one can replace you, you will be allowed to forward your balance to any future DMV and NYC Events with Dakota photo events- credited balance will expire in 12 months and it can only apply to a future event once.