Halloween Shoot (Featuring Masks by Madisigns)

By

I love smoke. Not smoking, just smoke. That white and gray stuff that plumes from campfires and smoke bombs in a controlled environment. Jet.com sells a package of 6 dozen smoke bombs that arrived the morning before this shoot; that's how I knew it was going to be a good day.

Then I got on site and realized I forgot my flash trigger. Let me rephrase that: I lost my flash triggers. Poof. Gone. Nowhere to be found. The luscious light I imagined in my mind using off-camera flash quickly went out the window, leaving us to the unpredictability of the passing clouds.

At least we had smoke. :)

Models:
Eric Swenson
Trina Jasmine
Brianna Dibb
Michael James
Madi Beckstead
Amanda Solt
Melissa Meldrum

Handmade masks (that you can buy!) by Madison Sayes at Madisigns (facebook.com/madisigns)
Prop gowns: Wendy Hurst (me)*

*Exceptions include the butterfly skirt with geometric patterns and winter witch cloak. Those are by Madison too!

The Skulls

 My friend at Madisigns creates these super creepy masks (that you can buy!) by hand. The skirt fabrics (green, white and gold) are actually fabric samples from a company called 3Form. They press the fabric into a mold to make fiberglass and plastic textiles with interesting designs. For us their flowing but rigid texture make the perfect prop gowns. A little wrapping and tucking under corsets created the creepy look we needed. I also learned how to tie a cravat for the men and discovered a new way to use napkins, paint, and modge podge to transform an Archaeology textbook (yes, it was mine from college...don't judge me) into a "leather" spell book. I didn't get a good closeup this time but it's so creepy I'm sure I'll use it again someday...

 

 

The Butterflies
Lightening the mood a little: butterfly fairies in an autumn wood. :)



The Witches (with more smoke!)









Werewolves too...







Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Lonely Flower, with Kollene Snow | Salt Lake Conceptual Portrait Photographer

By
Image
Have you ever been stuck trying think of an idea, and then all of a sudden a tiny, fragile glimpse of something appears? In those moments I just want to grab it and hold on so it can't get away, but if you don't let it breathe, that poor little idea gets squished. I wanted this photo shoot with Kollene Snow to illustrate that idea. Like a lonely flower that blooms, sometimes unexpected ideas lead the way to the next one. Model: Kollene Snow Makeup: Kollene Snow Photography: Wendy Hurst Portrait
Read more

I am no bird | salt lake city utah conceptual portrait photographer

By
Image
Model: Jesyka Dereta Makeup & Styling: Jesyka Dereta Wardrobe, Prop & Calligraphy: Wendy Hurst Photography: Wendy Hurst Portrait Sometimes when I don't know something, like what to call an image or series, I identify what it's not. Doing so lends inspiration and  actually yields titles that resonate with me most often.  For this reason a quote from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte recently stuck in my mind. "I am no bird; no net ensnares me." I also remembered a behind the scenes YouTube video by fashion photographer Joan Allen that I found by accident years ago of a shoot using calligraphy on the skin to add a dimension of edgy elegance. Combine that with a kick I've been on about oversized objects and I knew what I wanted to do.  Months ago I draped my dress form, Maggie, with yards of purple cloth I picked up secondhand for a different photo shoot. The shoot turned out okay but didn't fully captured the potential I saw in that ...
Read more

FanX 2022 | Utah Portrait Photographer Studio On Location

By
Image
Salt Lake City, Utah |  FanX is a space of raw reality. Cosplayers emerge from their everyday self to an elevated version of self--or, someone/something else entirely. Artists become shapeshifters, inhabiting a character through what they're wearing, or what they hold, or what they say. Craftspeople from all walks of life swarm the halls with colorful excitement. It doesn't matter who you are, or where you came from, or where you're going. FanX is for everyone, like a moving, shifting, swirling, ever-changing exhibit of living art. I just bring my camera. :)  All the portraits I captured during the event can be found at my website, wendyhurstportrait.com .
Read more