It has been a witchy good day! I have been driving by Three Oaks Studio in Waynesville, NC, and admiring the decorations that Shonda had styled her porch in for Halloween for a few weeks. So, I finally decided to contact her and ask if I could do a Halloween Themed photoshoot on her porch. After I gained permission, I asked if anyone would be willing to model for me, and I met Brittany. Between Brittany, Shonda, and the engineering of my husband JJ, we created magic!
DIY Low-Lying Fog Box
A few weeks back, you may have noticed that I had been posting cell phone videos of my husband working on something I planned to use for an upcoming project. Well, this shoot was one of them that we used our DIY low-lying fog box on.
JJ is pretty creative and crafty when it comes to building things, so when I showed him the Youtube video I had found on how to create a chill box, he immediately went to work making one. He even improved the original design by adding hoses and grates on the inside.
I have such a supportive husband, and I am blessed to be able to say so.
If I had purchased the chill box I wanted, the starting price would have been well over $5,000. While my goal in life is to have creative budgets that can handle such purchases, I haven’t made it there just yet.
Storytelling in Photography
As a professional photographer, I am always trying to grow and expand my creativity. Every year my business grows, and this year has been the busiest I have had to date. Even though I now feel I have adequate experience to call myself a pro, I never want to be stale.
It is easy to go through the motions if you are busy and going from one shoot to another. So, I decided to begin experimenting with storytelling in photography.
If you browse photographer’s websites from all over the world, you will find many references to “story” and how that particular professional strives to capture “your story.”
This is wonderful, and I do the same thing for my clients. However, I also want to bring the stories in my mind to life too. I am an avid reader, so you can only imagine how many storylines run through my mind daily.
Letting Myself Have Fun on Halloween
Growing up, Halloween wasn’t a holiday my family and I celebrated. This was due to my father being a pastor of a local congregation. I don’t hold any grudges towards my parents for their decisions, and no one else should either. Instead, my Dad always took us to pick out a nice toy and candy to make up for it.
However, I have always loved the mysterious and magical elements of the season. Walking around stores, I loved to see the candles, potion bottles, spider webs, etc. Secretly I wanted to dress up every year, but I lived in my own fantasy world and found ways to do that daily.
This year, though, I decided to just run with it and see what I could create. My favorite purchase for this entire shoot was my bubbling cauldron. I found it on a whim at Michael’s and nearly walked out of the store without buying it. JJ laughed and told me to get it because he knew if I didn’t, I would drive back out there later in the day. It was 50% off anyway, so I tossed it in my buggy along with a ton of candles for the upcoming holiday season. Since Shonda had already decorated so beautifully, I did not need to purchase much to bring my vision to life.
When Brittany arrived as we were setting up, I was delighted to meet her, but I was also in awe of her amazing hair and makeup skills. She looked lovely in the black dress that she already had in her closet, and she had even added a touch of red to her hair that glowed in the overcast light.
To say I was delighted is an understatement I was beyond excited to get started.
Earlier in the day, Gracie’s school had to let their kids go home because a water main had busted, so she was able to tag along on this shoot as well.
It took us a little longer than I expected to get everything the way I wanted it, but once we started, I could have continued to shoot Brittany for hours!
Brittany brought the witchy vibes to my shoot without being over the top and unbelievable. She can definitely bring emotion to her eyes with ease, and it made my job easy. Of course, it certainly helped that she is a fellow photographer from Oklahoma who recently moved back to this area.
I admire her for getting in front of the camera because I prefer to be behind it, lol.
A Witchy Good Day
The theme I was going for in this shoot was “A Witchy Good Day.” I wanted to bring in a little mystery and portray a contemporary witch. Maybe she was sitting outside waiting for trick-or-treaters after she had been reading Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Or at least that is what everyone thinks she has been doing.
Instead, maybe she is drawing the fog around her to create potions and spells to give to lonely hearts.
She does keep her journal with her at all times to record her observations and innermost thoughts. Perhaps that is where she keeps track of her clients and who they wish to fall in love with.
Nevertheless, she is enjoying the lovely Autumn day alone.
What else do you think she does surrounded by her pumpkins?
A Note of Thanks
I enjoyed experimenting, and I want to send a heartfelt thanks out to Shonda from Three Oaks Studio for allowing me to take over her space and let my creative vision loose. Shonda and I share a love for all things vintage, and what I loved most was how her décor had a classic feel to it without being cheesy. And Brittany was a gem whom I look forward to working with more in the future! Stay safe this Halloween weekend, and if you don’t want your chocolate, you can swing by my house and drop it off!
