Once Upon a Dream : A Halloween Theme Photoshoot
If you spent 5 minutes talking to me about creating for a living, you will hear me say time and time again how important I think personal work is. When putting food on the table depends on your creativity day in and day out, it is very easy to feel drained, tired and uninspired; the ever feared “creative burnout”. This is where I find it crucial to make time for personal work, to actively do something to make us fall in love with our craft all over again.
Great things come from personal projects; in fact, from last year’s Halloween shoot, we booked a few more jobs because people loved what we created. It is still one of my favorite things we have ever done, and in part it is the story behind those images that makes me even more attached to them. We had so much fun last year, that we decided to make it a yearly affair. Why Halloween? Because it is the perfect excuse to make some magic happen!
To see and read about last year’s Halloween theme shoot, click HERE and then come right back!
This year’s theme came to me, funny enough, in a dream. I woke up excited and giddy, the way you feel about the possibility of something. After a brief brainstorm session with Bill, and a quick message to our friend Jen to see if she would be up for the adventure (she was!); we set out to quickly plan the shoot. I knew I wanted a moody, dreamy scene. I knew I wanted Willow to be a part of it again this year and I knew exactly where I wanted to shoot… only it involved a hike up a steep mountain… with gear, a dog, and some props. Thankfully, Bill and Jen caught the same excitement bug and were game for the challenge.
A little sweaty and out of breath, we made it to my ideal location. The sun was quickly setting, so we had to move fast to get our gear setup before we found ourselves in a pitch black Manzanita grove. While Jen did her makeup and put her costume on, Willow sat by very patiently (so incredibly proud of my girl!) while Bill and I raced around messing with flashes, light stands, camera and exposure. By 7:00, we were ready to roll. The sun was gone, it was dark and if someone had walked by and seen us… well, I can’t even imagine what they would think, haha!
Just like last year, serendipitously, everything fit and went smoothly. Jen was amazing, in character and looking bad-ass. Willow reprised her role of a wolf without any trouble, and as if she knew what we needed, she delivered, and then some. The result is even better than what I had dreamed once upon a time: a dark, enchanted forest where a misunderstood fairy queen met her loyal friend, a black wolf. And in my head, I heard Lana del Rey singing “I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream…”
Happy Halloween everyone! Have fun, and keep your pups and kittens safe!
**All images are © The Labs & Co. All rights reserved. Share and pin if you like, but please be kind and give credit.**
