October of course brings us Halloween, the ghost and ghouls, bats and spiders so traditional at this time of year. October the 31st is also celebrated as a pagan religious festival, Samhain, to mark the end of harvest and to welcome in the dark winter. So what better day to do a Samhain inspired photoshoot….
Luckily, I had a model lined up, and the perfect location; lots of gothic style architecture, wooded areas and dark spaces. Unfortunately, the weather was against us and on the day there were gale force winds in our part of the UK. When I arrived at the location the gates were firmly shut and a warning sign in place not to enter due to the high winds. So, with a bit of quick-thinking and a wander around the outside of the woods I found plenty of places that would make great backdrops before my model arrived.
I had brought a couple of props to the shoot, including the essential black sheet for my model to lie or sit on (no one wants to ask their very obliging model to get dirty!) My model arrived in fantastic makeup and outfit, bringing her own props as well. And off we went….
I wanted to get some dark, mysterious shots so used a lot of trees and foliage as backdrops, using a candle to illuminate slightly.
We found a gift of a place under the tress, spread with leaves of the gold and brown, the ideal place to find a witch reading her cards and casting her spells.
We found a stick house made by children or maybe a witches cave…
I really love themed photoshoots, I find it gives me, the photographer an opportunity to step into a fantasy world, to create a story as I see it, break from the norm and be a little bit daring. I accept that not everyone will ‘get it’ or understand the concept but it’s fun, creative and I love it !!
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