Michelle did this shoot in February or March, but I just realized that I never shared any of the images here! She had the concept for this last year, but it took a few months for the various participants and contributors to bring it all together. It has been a pleasure to collaborate with her, and this is one of my favorite shoots so far.
The set was an old civil war graveyard. When she contacted me with the idea, she was a bit worried that it might be “too dark” for me, but I think it’s perfect. The photo to the right is one of my favorites — I love the faded look, and the subtle damask pattern in the background that echoes the pattern on her dress as well as the pattern on the headstone.
It’s been a lot of fun collaborating on these shoots. I love her aesthetic as well as her imaginative approach. I also love that it challenges me to work on more intensive pieces. This collar for example — it may look simple, but it’s very detailed and it reflects countless hours of work. It incorporates a series of 1960’s era cabochons and cameos, along with a huge assortment of unusual vintage French jet sew-ons from the late 1800’s. These beads were traditionally used in Victorian mourning jewelry and garments, and I hoped to capture that feel with this piece.
If you’d like to see more images from this shoot, you can check them out on my facebook fan page. While you’re there, consider “liking” the page, so that you can keep up with our future collaborations.
This is one of my favorite photos from a recent “Dryad” themed shoot with the fabulous Michelle Masso, of Kramer Studios. The model is wearing one of my leather headdresses, along with a pair of my sculpted leather wings. If you’d like to see more, please hop on over to my facebook fan page to view the full album!
Photography is simply not my strong suit. I’ve worked hard to improve, but overall, it’s just not something that comes naturally to me. Add to this the fact that my house (and surrounding grounds) are heavily shaded with VERY low light, and it becomes extra challenging for me to get good photos. So this year I decided to reach out to a few photographers and see if they could help me on this front.
Three people responded to my request, and it was very rewarding to work with ALL of them. Each brought her own unique vision and personality, and I learned a lot from every exchange.
I’m thrilled that I can now show several of my mask styles being worn, as I’m sure it really helps customers to visualize how the masks will fit on them. While I do have mannequin heads that I can use in a pinch, they tend to run a bit smaller than a real human head and sometimes this can really prevent you from imagining the true fit.
Beyond the practical considerations of fit, the photos just LOOK better than the ones that I take. These ladies have the proper equipment, training and talent to get clear, beautiful shots where I fall short. While I certainly can (and will) invest more time into learning how to take better photos myself, sometimes it’s just nice to hand the job over to a professional and know that it will be done right. At least in my case, it freed me up to focus more on mask making, where I feel my energy was better spent.
With that being said, I wanted to take a moment to thank these ladies for their time and talent. It helped me immensely, and I’m extremely grateful. In no particular order, the photographers were Priya Alahan, Maureen of JustALittleMOre Photography, and Michelle of Kramer Studios. These artists were very generous with me, and I highly recommend each one.
I’m probably going to hibernate for awhile after Halloween, but once I’m rested up, I hope to try this again. These experiences have given me a clearer sense of my own needs, as well as what to expect when working with others. I’m sure there is still much to learn in that regard, but at very least, I don’t feel like I am totally flying blind anymore.