2021 photoshoots The purpose of doing these shoots is to have fun and try new things. Fantasy photography is my passion, and I love preparing each shoot with costume choices, color, time of year, props, storyline, etc. Even though we have had lots of fun of the last few years, we wanted to share some of the goals that we plan to achieve this year:

1. 12 special shots for 12 months – we are going to challenge ourselves to something unique in each shoot (suspended glass, reflections, etc.)
2. Focus on stories – this has been a goal of mine for years. I always tell people that I am a writer and a photographer. When asked why I don’t choose one and stick with it, I explain that they are the same thing - just different media. The root of both passions is storytelling. We don’t want to just take a photo of a pretty girl in front of a pretty background. We want to show an actual story taking place. It is a very hard goal for me to practice as I have done wedding and portrait photography for so long that I’ve been trained to do “pretty.” There is a game called “Legend of the Cryptids,” and their images are the best storytelling pieces I have ever seen. My goal is to be able to tell stories in my photos just like them.
3. ALWAYS strive to be better – I love photography and I am always checking out new training and classes to become the best that I can be. You would be floored if you saw how many hours Mike and I put into learning new techniques. We love to learn and are constantly pushing ourselves. I hope to continue this for the year. Every day I get closer and closer to my utopian photos of how I want them to appear. Every time I do a photoshoot, I get closer and closer to have the image from the photograph be the same as the one I envision in the original concept.   
4. Post more on social media – if you have ever met me in person, you would believe that I am a social butterfly. Ironically, it is just a front. I am horrendously shy and just pretend to be extroverted. I get embarrassed easily (which looks strange on a six-foot female) and babble when I am uncomfortable. I repeatedly fail to post about myself – and our business. It is my goal this year to post more (and be consistent in the long run) and find a good rhythm that does not burn me out. There is a second goal within this one. It is to take you on this journey with us. We have so much fun! I want you to see – and feel – it. I ask most people “What do you do on the weekend?” Their answer? Nothing much. My answer? “I did a shoot on mermaids today and jumped in the water with all my clothes on to get a great shot. Afterward, I went to my husband’s choir performance and giggled whenever I heard the occasional drips on the floor from my soaked garments!” (That is, ironically, a true story. Better yet, the photo came out lousy because I knew nothing about underwater photography and the cloudiness that comes with it, but I would do it again in a heartbeat.)

There are, of course, more goals in our cabinet of dreams, but I wanted to share with you our “big dogs” so that you can follow us in our journey and 2022 photoshoots be our accountability partners throughout this adventure. I have a few huge goals waiting in the wings, but I need to complete these first.

Future shoots - You'll hear more as we get closer, but we do have some plans to do some bigger shoots and some bucket list items this year. I am currently gathering a group of individuals to do a "Mermaid's Treasure" shoot, and I am looking for a group of Lord of the Rings fans to do a special shoot of a fey walk in the woods. There will be more details later. We are also signed up to be at TerrifiCon this year at Mohegan Sun (July 28-30th) as vendors in the cosplay section. 

Thank you for listening and I hope that you enjoy the ride with us!

Sincerely,

Melissa Damon

The Season of Giving…

Blog – The Light in the Darkness

Word of the month – looking out for other’s wellbeing over our own (altruistic)

Season – Fall/Winter

Time of Day – 12p-6pm

Element of the year – fire

Moon of the year - waning moon

Sunset

Astronomy Event – Winter Solstice

Popular Holidays – Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, boxing day, Omisoka, New Year’s Eve

Things to do – shopping,

Caroling, fall cleaning,

Winterize backyards and homes,

Get 2023 planners,

Finish reading challenges,

Prep new year goals and plans,

Attend Christmas parties,

Cut/decorate trees,

Hang out with family (or friends),

Make soups, bake treats, etc.

December is the end of fall and the beginning of winter. I sometimes forget that fall doesn’t end until the week before Christmas. It is the season of giving…although many kids will give you compelling arguments that it is about receiving. To me, it is about the light in the darkness. December 21^st is the winter solstice (the longest night of the year) and it is somehow lessened by the beautiful lights of the holiday season. It gives me hope…and happiness. I know that winter is coming (thank you to the Stark family) but I also know that I am not alone. The lights remind me that we are all in this together and we will forge through the snow storms and cold weather to resurface in the beauty of spring and sunshine.

Upcoming Shoots:

We completed our yearly Christmas photo at my house. Although it was good, I felt as though I rushed it and could’ve done better, but isn’t that true for many of our creations? I haven’t done much for photo shoots this fall due to sickness (Mike and I both got Covid at different times) but we plan on focusing on the family for the remainder of the year and starting fresh in January.

Events:

Christmas parties

Christmas Carol at Granite theater

Giving Thanks…

Blog – Gratitude

Word of the month – forge (to, form, shape, make, fashion, create, etc.)

Season – Fall

Time of Day – 6pm-12am

Element of the year – fire

Moon name – Beaver Moon (November 8^th)

Moon of the year - Waning moon

Sunset

Popular Holidays – All Saints Day, Sadie Hawkins Day, DST, Election Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Total Lunar Eclipse (Blood Moon)

Things to do – cook, fall clean,

Walking/hiking,

Switch out summer clothes,

Close up the garden and start canning,

Start holiday shopping/planning,

Join a turkey trot,

Host a “Friendsgiving,”

Volunteer,

Attend a festival (beer/wine),

Play football,

Bake cookies.

November is the time when things cool down and kick into holiday gear. It starts the day after Halloween and ends right after Thanksgiving. Back in the colonial days, this is the time when our ancestral “worker ants” would bring in the crops and prepare for the harsh winter to come.

As the leaves change from the bright hues of October into the darker maroons and browns of November, we also feel the changes in society. To me, it is the time of gratitude and resilience. I love to pull from the concept of Thanksgiving and the gratefulness of helping a friend in need.

Long ago, my ancestors were on the brink of starvation in a new land. People that they had judged to be savages ended up becoming the heroes that saved them in the end. The tribes taught the colonists how to farm the land. Ironically, there was no turkey or pies in the original dinner. Although there are many variations of the story, I would love to focus on the gratitude of survival that the original dinner encompassed.

Upcoming Shoots:

I unfortunately don’t have nay shoots for November at this month (fantasy photo wise) as I have been very sick (lovely Covid) in the last few weeks but I am hoping to get back on the right path and sneak something in before the end of the month.

Events:

African Leadership Awards – Marriot in Manhattan

Trip to Florida

Turkey Trot

Holiday Shopping

Thanksgiving

Working on fixing up a camper

Living in the Moment…

Blog – Diving into Fall

Word of the month –Lionization (treating something as an object of adoration)

Season – Fall

Time of Day – 6pm-12am

Element of the year – fire

Moon of the year - Waning moon

Sunset

Popular Holidays – Halloween, Columbus Day, Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Things to do – Pumpkin picking,

Walking/hiking,

Watch scary movies,

Decorate for spooky month,

Enjoy all the pumpkin themed foods,

Visit a vineyard,

Go on a hayride,

Watch a soccer game,

Have a campfire,

Carve pumpkins,

Watch scary movies.

October is the visual cue to the beginning of fall. In the colonies of northeast America, we tend to flourish in the roots of our ancestors. The world is painted in bright colors of corn, pumpkin, and apple. To me, it is the time of creativity. I love to create decorations, costumes, and more during the month. It is when I slowly change over from summer clothes to winter as the nights get a little cooler.

This month is about enjoying the colorful world around us and spending time with friends and family. It is warm tea in the morning while snuggling with my son, sweaters and fleece tops, soccer games, about finishing up summer bucket lists for the year and enjoy the last of the season before bunkering down for the colder months. This month’s photo shoot is a reschedule of the mermaids and sailors and I am hosting my own amazing murder mystery Halloween party.

Upcoming Shoots:

I have a wonderful photo shoot coming up with Andrew and Alexandra. It is a reschedule from last month due to sickness. We are doing some recreations of the classic story of Hans Christian Anderson’s Little Mermaid. I am hoping to lean more towards the original story and less on the Disney rendition (not that there is anything wrong with our little red headed fin princess and her beau).

Events:

A rescheduled photo shoot for Little Mermaid

Murder Mystery Halloween Party

20^th High School Reunion

Pumpkin Picking

Adventure Park Ropes Course

Creating a Halloween costume

Although September is the official start of fall, I wanted to make a bucket list for fall. I have a PDF available on the website. Although many people are sad when summer is over, I love that October has so many festivities to keep us busy. Feel free to create your own fall bucket list so that you don’t miss out on items you want to fulfil.

Fall bucket list

The Start of Something New…

Blog – reconnect with the community (connectedness)

Word of the month –Nexus (a series of things linked together)

Season – Summer/Fall

Time of Day – 12p-6pm

Element of the year – fire

Moon of the year - full moon

Noon

Astronomy Event - Autumn/fall equinox (daylight/moonlight are equal September 22^nd)

Popular Holidays – Labor Day, Mabon, Oktoberfest, Michaelmas

Things to do – Apple picking,

Walking/hiking,

Complete unfinished projects,

Clean and prepare to hibernate,

Plant bulbs,

Winemaking,

Renaissance festivals,

Weave corn dolls,

Hazelnuts,

Baking bread,

Scarecrows,

Start school,

Replenish office supplies take college classes

September is the end of summer and the beginning of fall. To me, it is a mark of new beginnings. Even though it has been years since I was last in school, I feel the buzz of excitement over new outfits, bags, supplies, growth for the start of a new school year. It is bittersweet as each day is so beautiful to me and I want to freeze time. In the spring, I can’t wait for the leaves to come in and for it to warm up. In the summer, I bask in the glory of the season while wilting away in the heat. In September, I know that summer is drawing to a close and that fall is just a breath away.

This month is about finishing up summer bucket lists for the year and enjoy the last of the season before bunkering down for the colder months. I would love to get some hiking and fairs within the month, but I know that my son’s soccer games will keep me busy throughout most of the weekends. This month’s photo shoot is about mermaids and sailors and I have an amazing murder mystery house warming party that I am hoping to blog as I have a feeling it is going to be very exciting.

Upcoming Shoots:

I have a wonderful photo shoot coming up with Andrew and Alexandra. We are doing some recreations of the classic story of Hans Christian Anderson’s Little Mermaid. I am hoping to lean more towards the original story and less on the Disney rendition (not that there is anything wrong with our little red headed fin princess and her beau).

Events:

Labor day weekend with a last rendezvous at the beach

Murder Mystery House Warming Party

A Surprise Birthday Party with a Farmhouse theme

A few projects where I dive back into creating clothes

Although September is the official end of summer, I wanted to make this month’s blog about our wake from the Covid hibernation and going back into the community of fairs, events, visiting families, etc. in hopes of never having to face this beast again. Life is too short to live within an isolated cage and humans are social creatures that thrive on the community to nurture themselves.

This week was focused on closing up the old projects. Stalkers has been my baby for years and I have sat on it and prepared it and sat on it again. In the end, I refused to do much with it. I’m so scared that it will never be good enough, and it won’t be anything if I don’t release the whole thing into the wild. So… I am pulling up my big girl panties and sending it off like a submarine. Two books are done and shipped out, and I am hoping to have the third one complete by the end of the month at the latest (at the earliest it will be next week).

My other big project is my contribution to Kindle Vella. It is a new program created by Amazon that allows authors to publish their works as serialized stories. Some of the greatest stories of all times have been created this way and I hope to do the same. Stories like North and South, The Count of Monte Cristo, Vanity Fair, Treasure Island, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and so many more. Now one of my stories called Ultramarine will be a serialized story as well. I will be releasing it one chapter per week. I don’t have the whole thing written yet, but I am hoping having this deadline will light a fire under my ….um….under carriage.

The last, but not least, item done this week was a photo shoot for our monthly shoot. This was our own version of a damsel in distress. We had a lovely damsel (Rebecca Munroe) and her knight in shining armor (Mark Longo) posing up on Bailey's Ravine Sunday afternoon. Then we switched it up and had our damsel save the knight. Even at 5pm in the evening, it was still a whopping 90+ degrees. Becky had on a long sleeve dress with layers attached to the back while Mark was wearing several pounds of heavy armor. There was a lot of sweat, but the two of them took the shots like troopers. Even Mike and I were layered in sweat by the end of the shoot. I'm so glad it is done as it was very hot, and I can't wait to edit the pictures. I've only had the opportunity to load them on the computer so far. 

Projects completed for the week:

Stalkers: The Resurrection – Kindle is available for purchase (this was technically done last week)

Stalkers: The Resurrection – It is available on paperback but I have not approved final cover yet

Stalkers: The Illusion – Kindle is available for purchase

Stalkers: The Illusion – It is currently submitted and in review for paperback version on Amazon

Ultramarine – The first two chapter have been released and will be available on Kindle Vella when it opens! My goal is to release a chapter a week until it is complete.

Damsel in Distress photo shoot at Bailey's Ravine in North Franklin, CT with Rebecca Munroe and Mark Longo

Hanfu Princess photo edits are complete 

-I am currently doing final edits for Stalkers: The New Covenant. Adrian was getting a little wiry in the book and I have to clean him up a bit.

And all this was done with multiple dentist appointments, unexpected half days due to heat, zoom calls to old colleges, field days at school, and the wrapping up of the school year! I feel so happy and accomplished!!!!

oct-1 A Full Moon - A Blue Moon

Have you ever hear someone say:  “once in a blue moon?” It is actually in old saying that meant once a year. It was the way people told time passing long ago. In fact, there are thirteen full moons a year in our present calendar and only one lucky month a year gets to host this grand event. It actually changes months each year. This year it is in October. The first full moon will be on October 1^st and is called the harvest moon (the full moon that is closest to the autumn equinox is always called the harvest moon because…well…it was a heads up that it was the time to harvest the crops). The second full moon is – ironically – on Halloween and is called a Blue moon.

So…once in a blue moon, there is a blue moon on All Hallows Even, when the holiday is seated on a weekend…and anything could occur! Hahaha! (Enter my evil laugh here)

Aka Changing a 40-year-old woman into a 14 year old anime character

About a month ago, Mike and I decided that we were going to do a test shoot once a week to continue in our craft of photography. The only time we took off was the Memorial day holiday weekend as it was too busy. This shoot was going to be our forth test shoot so far this year and since we were having a tough time getting a model (covid-19 social distancing), I had to be the model. me sailor moon-2

This was not going to be cool.

Me. I. Oh God! The model?

Sailor Moon was one of my favorite animes as a teenager. In fact, you could say it was how I met Mike Donatello in the first place. Back in the mid-90s, products couldn’t be bought as easily as today. If I wanted Sailor Moon paraphernalia, I had to go to Hot Topic or Sarges Comics in New London. Well, I started to go to Sarges a lot and that is where I met Mike. Long story short, the owner (Bob) pointed out that we were both photographers and we’ve been friends and business partners since.

Now, back to the ugly part. I was going to be Sailor Moon and it was going to be extremely tough because I am now 40-years-old and am the heaviest I’ve ever been in my life (188 lbs)other than right before the birth of my son (203 lbs). I also have a large tumor (non-cancerous) on my uterus so I look heavier because it protrudes. My apologies, I’m not saying this to be gross. I’m just trying to point out how impossible this shoot was going to be.

We had to be very creative with the shoot due to these factors, so a plan needed to be made. The concept was to photograph me from behind so that my stomach was not seen. We also wanted to show a scene instead of a girl standing there looking at a camera. There are way too many pretty pictures of Sailor Moon cosplay on the internet and we wanted to be different. We also decided to use a very old outfit that I had for Free Comic Book Day. It was missing pieces but that was okay because we wanted her dirty and appearing at the end of a battle.    

81358618_2680790435290176_7254572587580129280_oPhoto of Melissa Damon and Katy Miller. Photographed by Robert Miller. The end decision was taken from a Sailor Moon episode itself. There is a moment after her first battle where she watches the sun rise from afar. Although we were using the Eternal Sailor Moon costume instead of her traditional one, we decided to do something similar to this scene.

We wanted to shoot on a day where there were a lot of dark clouds. These were supposed to symbolize an oncoming battle. Our decision for the shoot was made in less than 24 hours as we were hopping on the earliest day of clouds with no rain in the forecast. Unfortunately, we did not get the full clouds we wanted because the fog rolled in, but it was still close enough.

The day was Friday, May 29^{th of} 2020 and we decided to go up to Rocky Neck State Park as our location. Aaron took the photos with my camera (and my son Connor took an epic shot while we were there) and Mike took photos with his. I was twitching as I stood as the model. I wanted to be behind the camera so bad but I took it for the team.

We had to unfortunately leave the beach earlier than expected as a group of teenagers came and started to make the worst comments I had heard in a long time. I was saddened by this but also knew that people are bored during this pandemic and acting out of character. Most of the group was just having fun but three broke off from the group and they appeared to be vlogging. They saw our shoot and went into detail on what they were going to do to me. Mike, Aaron, and I exchanged looks. Although normally we would change to a different location in the park if we had a client and something like this happened (ironically, we’ve never had something like this happen before), my son was with us and I did not want him to hear it. We chose to quietly pack up and go. Luckily, Connor was having a field day building a sand castle and wasn’t paying any attention. me sailor moon-1_pe3b

The edits involved quite a bit of liquifying but they came out better than I thought. I was the most excited about a photo that my son took that I thought was amazing. I didn’t even edit his shot. I was a particularly proud Momma Bear. As for the other photos, I wanted to give a fine art feel to them because they were inspired by anime. I didn’t want them to just be a photographic take on the show. I needed more. I fell in love with a couple of them and am pretty proud of the shoot.

Someday, I would love to lose a little bit of this weight and retake the shoot. I would also love to add in Chibi Usa and make it more of a hand-off of power. It would be neat to have an older version of Sailor Moon passing the torch onto the younger hero.

The blue guard was our second photo for our test runs and we did it on Mother’s day. It was a decent sunny day and I was so glad that Mike asked us to do the shoot because, if it was only me, I wouldn’t have done it. I was definitely feeling lazy that day. The inspiration for the shoot was the seige of Gondor from Lord of the Rings. Aaron (our model) was supposed to be an officer. 

blue guard-2 That is part of the beauty of being part of a team. If I was doing half of this stuff just by myself, I don’t know if I would be able to get it all done. Being part of a team means that I have to be accountable and get my butt outside, even when I don’t want to.

My son didn’t join us this time so Aaron and I drove together to Fort Trumbell in New London, CT. Originally, this was going to be part of the wraith shoot from the previous weekend but we thought that it would be too much to travel between the towns, locations, and costume changes with the same model. It was split up into two weekends to make it easier.

There was not much for people at the location and we were able to suit Aaron up in all of the armor for the shoot. It was bittersweet to see some families meeting in the parking lot to spend the holidays together while maintaining social distancing. They sat in small groups at the backs of multiple cars, wrapped in blankets and smiling at one another.

We suited up and made our way over to the Fort itself. I was immediately disappointed to discover that the inner courtyard of Fort Trumbell was closed. My original game plan for the shoot involved the stairwells inside the outer walls. It didn’t cross my mind that the Fort would be locked up as I consider the inner courtyard to still be outside. blue guard-1

This put a large damper on our plans but we shot at the front gate and the side of the building to make it work. They sun was harsh and I tried to use it to my advantage in some shots and avoid it altogether in others. It made the shoot shorter for time, but left us a little wanting for some of the shoots. Although we were able to improvise and get good shots, this was a valuable lesson that I always need to check the location before the shoot. I try to make this process part of every shoot, but sometimes things just happen.

Part of the armor was actually created by Mike. I know that he created the shield for this shoot although he has created the armor in some of our previous works. It is always neat to get the opportunity to photograph his work and we hope to shoot more in the future.

We definitely want to do this shoot again once the Fort is open. It also inspired me to do some sword shots in the future as well, especially Excaliber ones. I find it intriguing how, even though we got a lot of decent shots, my favorite photo was a perception shot with a sun flare. 

blue guard files-8_pe

When I think of running, this fantasy image of a huntress running through the woods comes to mind. She would be wearing a short toga and would have a bow and arrow strapped to her back. She wouldn’t be running from anyway. She is the hunter, not the prey. The name Artemis (Goddess of the Hunt) comes to mind and she would be running either during the day or with patches of moonlight filtering through the thick woodland treetop. She would not wear shoes and her run would be parkour as she bounds across rocks, forest floor, and nearby trees. She is like a gazelle and the terrain of the forest does not faze her in the slightest. IMG_20200601_095326

When I think of myself running, I think of sweat, pain, and not getting enough breathe in my lungs. If you had asked me two weeks ago if I wanted to go on a run, I would’ve probably rolled my eyes and grunted in response. Running was not my thing. Don’t get me wrong, I used to be part of track…but I hated running even back then. It was the feeling of not getting even breathe that used to scare me. I even used to run in small marathons with my family but as they got hernias and surgeries one-by-one, I lost interested and quickly gave it all up.

Now, I am on day three of running and loving it. I haven’t done it outside yet with all of the reports on the Corona virus and my fear of being run over by a car (the roads by my house are very curvy and busy), but I did find my own fun thing to do. I run around the world each day. Today I ran at Angor Wat in Cambodia. Yesterday I ran the London Bridge, and I didn’t leave the comfort of my home for either one of them. There are tons of other locations to choose from as well. 

There have been spin classes for years, but when the Peloton came out, it changed things a little. Ironically, I don’t own one. I have a bike, treadmill, and elliptical. When the ads for the Peloton came on tv, I started to notice more items for running on places like the internet and Youtube. There are a ton if you look up things like virtual run for treadmill, virtual hike, etc. There are a lot of them that are 4k and high definition.

I hope to run outside someday. I would like to become that warrior goddess woman in the woods with her long hair blown back by the wind of her own pace, but until then I’m pretty happy in my workout clothes, slugging it along as I watch the shores of Tulum at sunrise on my television.

Happy trails!

Several weeks ago, Mike Donatello contacted me and asked me if I wanted to start shooting again. This worked out well as I was already doing a photography training class that was helping my alter my craft and I needed to get my practice time in. It also didn’t hurt that we were both stuck at home due to social distancing with the dreadful Corona virus.

wraithgg-1 We chose Aaron Hayes as our model and met at Fort Shantok (Uncasville, CT) park. It was May 3^rd, 2020 around 1:30pm. The sun was out in full glory so we chose to use a patch of pine trees that were littered throughout the area like a pinball machine.

This made it really tough for getting the right exposure for the shot because the highlights were blown out. You would figure that it would be the sun spots on the ground that lit up my highlight alert like the Fourth of July but no, it was the horizon that did me in. I had to get creative to make sure that I could get the picture.

Aaron was suited up in scarves, robes, a baseball cap (to give the illusion of a longer face under the hood), armor, and so much more. The goal was to appear like one of the Wraiths from Lord of the Rings. I also was reminded of grounded dementors as well.

The photoshoot went well and we had it done in about an hour. I tried out some techniques of holding tree branches in front of my lens to get a bokeh look to the photos, but it did not add to the photos in this shoot.

After the shoot, I went home and began editing. For some reason, I felt as though the photos were too bright and green. It made perfect sense as this was taken during the beginning of spring when the leaves are more of a bright green/yellowish look. I choose to do something that I have never successfully done. I wanted to turn my super bright sunny shot (one of the toughest shots to take due to bleaching out scenes) and change it to a night shot.

I was worried that it would turn into the Slipper and the Rose scene where Cinderella is singing and dancing after the ball and you can tell that it was daytime and not night by the patches of sunlight in the background. You are supposed to be so enthralled with Gemma Craven that you don’t notice, but I did after my billionth time of watching it.

Ironically, it came out pretty decent. The photo does appear like a composition due to the gray line around my wraith. I’m guessing it is the sun highlighting the back of my character and it has turned grey with my edits. If I erase it, it will make the photo appear unfinished so I have left it in. I also wanted it to have a painted effect so I used some Lightroom presets as well as Photoshop color lookup filters. I also added fairy lights. I was debating whether to keep it the blue or add more color to it so that viewers can see it better. wraith-8

Overall, I am happy with the photo but I may revisit it in order to see if I can fix the line that I mentioned before. My goal is to make my images the best that I possibly can.

It is intriguing how a wraith is supposed to be a ghost or specter according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. They are known to be made of gas or see through form. I believe that wraith means misty and it is of Scottish origin. This makes me think that I should re-do the photo to make it less visible. I could return to the location and try to retake that exact spot, or I can just clone it.

Wraiths in mythology are often made by dark spells. They are known for feeding or attacking other people’s souls.

In Lord of the Rings, the wraiths were the human kings that were trapped due to the rings of power that Sauron gave them. They were known as the Ringwraiths, Dark Riders, the nine, and/or the Nazguls. They had several different forms but one of them is definitely a hooded figure with a dark cloak that has a sword and gauntlets. (5/17/20)

wraith-21 wraith-edit-1_pe1

dandelion-1

Is this your typical way to grab your breakfast? Before this week, it wasn’t mine either. I just happened to discover the edible qualities of dandelions recently, and my curiosity was piqued. Perhaps yours will be as well. Let me tell you a little bit about this flowering weed and let you decide for yourself.

Long ago, dandelions were first spotted in recorded history through the Arabians in the tenth century and the Welsh in the thirteenth century. They were brought over to the United States by the colonists in the 17^th century as a farming crop. The name dandelion (from the word dent de lion) is actually French and means lion’s tooth. This is possibly a description of the jagged leaves on the stem as well as the golden mane of the flower.

Every single part of the weed, from the flowering head all the way down to the unforked roots (if the roots are forked then they are young), is edible. This is not necessarily true for all wild foraged foods. Of course, it is important that if you do decide to try out this new delicacy, please do it in an meadow (or backyard) that is free of all pesticides. The flower may be edible, but it is not as good for you if it is injected with poisons. If is also important not to eat it if you have any allergies (especially if you have ragweed allergies). If you have eczema, the chances of having an allergic reaction are also higher.

Now that I have dispensed with all the formalities, I can get to the good part. This weed has so many rewarding qualities. It is truly shocking that it hasn’t been held in a higher regard. The FDA still calls it a weed and states that there is not enough supporting evidence to consider it medicine. Ironically, there are currently several manufacturers that sell it as a vitamin in stores.

It has been used by many different cultures for many generations to help with liver problems, kidney disease, heartburn, UTIs, appendicitis, and much more.  The leaves contain the vitamins A, B, C, and D. It also has iron, calcium, zinc, protein, dietary fiber, folate, magnesium, phosphorus,  and potassium. There is ongoing research that it may be able to help with cancer.

It has been seen in old school recipes for salad where just a few young leaves are thrown into a basic salad mix for some extra kick. The flowers are great as a wine. The stem is not the best tasting thing in the world, but it is edible. 

If eating it is not your cup of tea, there are other uses as well. It is great for garden soil if you chop it up and use it as fertilization. People used to smear it on their cheeks for makeup as well as creating a potent color dye. The milky white liquid in the stem is also used to get rid of warts. Oils made from the flower are good for the skin and sore muscles.   

dandelion-2 There is so much more to the world of dandelions. The things that I have written on this blog are just a mere drop in the bucket compared to all the uses that have been discovered out there, and they are everywhere! We’ve spent so much time buying all of our products from the grocery store, it is intriguing to know that there are some wild items out there that can be used for good causes. Sounds a lot more adventurous than saying: “I went to the supermarket today and bought some strawberries, doesn’t it?”

I am always searching for new information and ideas. Please feel free to add comments on any other uses or resources that you believe would help further our knowledge on dandelions and their uses.  

Resources:

https://www.naturallivingideas.com/things-to-do-with-dandelions/

https://www.trybackyardfarming.com/eat-dandelions-the-whole-plant-is-edible/

https://www.herballegacy.com/Chhabra_History.html

https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-706/dandelion

http://untrainedhousewife.com/dandelion-uses-and-health-benefits

http://www.actforlibraries.org/plant-history-how-dandelions-came-to-north-america/

http://www.ourherbgarden.com/herb-history/dandelion-history.html

https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/12-things-to-make-with-dandelion-flowers/

After my original Three Fates shoot, I desperately wanted to make the Three Graces as perfect and beautiful as possible. I had many changes that I wanted to make for this shoot, and although I did many of them, not all were completed and I felt as though it showed in the photos. Honestly, I was pleased with the photos through a fine art perspective, but it did not come out the way I had originally imagined. It wasn’t perfect, but I am a die core perfectionist so I highly doubt anything would be perfect to me. grace1smnologo

Model

 My model for this shoot was Bethany McMahon. Although this is my first time working with her directly, I have actually known her for years and have seen her working firsthand in both fashion shows and photography. I could not think of a better model for this shoot as I needed someone that could act as well as look pretty for the camera. Some of the embodiments of the goddesses needed to be young and innocent, while the others needed sneaky and arrogant personalities. Beth is one of the few models I knew would be able to pull this incredibly tough job off….and she did it in spades!

Concept

The original concept for this shoot was the three Graces (also known as Charites) from Greek mythology. They were three minor goddesses that usually hung around Venus/Aphrodite (Goddess of Love/Beauty) and represented charm, beauty, and creativity. They have been painted/sculpted many times by master artists like Botticelli, Raphael, Antonio Canova, and many others, and are usually viewed as blessings for a wedded couple. 

When I created the concept for the shoot, I really wanted to evoke a similar idea to the goddess Hecate where she represents the maiden, mother, and crone in one form. I would make the three of them into different attributes of a woman. To further this concept, I chose to use one model to represent the three as if they were triplets. 

fates graces small-5 I was also doing this photo concept directly after a different shoot called the Three Fates. When I shot the Fates, I purposely used the same model as the Graces because I wanted to have a chiaroscuro (dark and light) feel to the entire thing. I envisioned them sitting side by side at a gallery event: one in white and one in black, contradicting each other with a beautiful allure. The Fates were photographed in black fabric with a black background while the Graces were photographed in white fabric using a white background. I wanted to embody light, purity, and simplicity in these photos and give them a ‘clean’ feeling. I also wanted the Three Graces facing each other as if they were going to dance because they are usually dancing or embracing in most depictions of them.

Location

Originally, I thought of using the beach for the shoot on a cloudy day, but I wanted to practice using floating lights so my studio at home was the best idea. The Three Fates shoot was done in the studio so Three Graces needed to mirror the original shoot. It also made since to choose a location where I could easily place the model (Beth) in three different spots easily while controlling the elements.

Settings and Angles

The camera was placed on a tripod and I set the ISO/aperture/shutter manually so that the settings would remain the same for each set of photos. Beth stood in the center of the room and I had the white background a few feet behind her. The photos were shot straight on and we changed her clothing/hair/position for the two other Graces and then took the photo again.

Props and Clothing fates graces sullen-1_pe1smallnologo

There really was no costumes made for this shoot. Beth wore a simple piece of fabric that was draped in different ways on her body. The necklace was something old that I’ve had around the house for years and the crown was a piece of metal trim that I found and bent into a circle. I did have a crown in mind for this shoot, but I was not able to locate it. Also, at the beginning of the shoot, Beth wore a beautiful nose ring that had a thin chain that attached to her ear. We ended up taking it off because it looked like a stray hair in the final photos.

Editing

When it came to editing, the three photos were merged into one using photoshop and as steady of a hand as possible. I really did not do much for editing other than nudging an upper arm here and there, and chaging a frown into a smirk. For several of the fine art pieces, I used textured layers and Smart Photo Editor.

Learning for the Future

If I had a third shot on this shoot, I would have done it at night with a single light for the scene to make the shadows darker. Although it was smart to do the dark photos in daylight so that I would have little to no noise in my photos, the drama in the photo was decreased in the process. For the lighter Grace shots, I had a happy accident and overexposed my first four shots. The results were actually some of my favorite photos and I may repeat it in the future as I loved the high key angelic appearance of Beth in these photos. The photos that were the correct exposure were nice as well, but they didn’t hold the same kind of ethereal magic in them.

After several months off due to surgery and the business of family, friends, work, and other related events, I finally got back on the wagon and decided to do creative shoots again. The first one I wanted to do was one I did not think would be too difficult. Boy, was I wrong!

The Understanding of the Three Fates fates sm-1

The photoshoot was titled the Three Fates (also known as the Moirai). It revolved around the Grecian myths about Clothos, Lachesis, and Atropos, the three goddesses that were in charge of human mortality. Clothos spun the thread, Lachesis held it, and Atropos was in charge of cutting it.

Although many of us remember the three Fates from Disney’s Hercules movie as old crones that shared one eye, I decided that I wanted to make them younger appearing, and far more beautiful. Many quotes have included saying things like death is a seductress in the night and I wanted to embody that concept within the photo. I also wanted it to be one model that would be used to photograph all three, similar to the concept of the Greek goddess Hecate (maiden, mother, and crone) or the characteristics of one individual. I liked the idea, since the three Fates are always seen together and rarely anything else, that they could be triplets clouded in darkness.

The Concept and Shoot

Being that it was my first shoot in a while, it took a long time to prep and I didn’t do it the way I liked. I wanted to dangle a lightbulb in the photo as if it was a soul and have the three Fates be back to back in the photo like a reflection or triangle. Unfortunately, I noticed that putting the light bulb in the picture changed the lighting in the photo and exposure. I turned the lightbulb off and on for different poses and this also messed with the exposure. I plan to try this photo again and when I do, I will take the picture once and mimic the same settings in manual mode. I would also like to set up my tethering to the computer so that I can see my photos in a bigger picture (the braided Fate in the photo was slightly blurred due to me throwing on a light during the shoot).

3 fatesIMG_8276-Edit_pesm I also plan to try a prime lens and a zoom lens for the shot. I could try to decide on directional light (soft) but I should probably practice that beforehand. I do like the way the light bulb illuminates the characters but wouldn't mind putting a small light near the bottom of the photo and darkening the background a bit so that it is easier to dodge and burn later on. I can also keep the light in one spot, regardless of which character is there, and see if there is more blue added to them.

I want to also see about dangling the light in a few areas so that there is more than one light in the photos (like souls surrounding them). The nose chain was pretty, but it was lost in the photo later on so it should probably be ditched. I also need to make sure none of the dresses have sleeves that could cover up another arm in the photo. I could also spray paint the scissors and make the thread thicker and more noticeable. It did come out as a decent photo, but I am convinced that I can do better...and I want to do better. This is about pushing myself to be the best, even if I have to repeat myself and fix my mistakes in the process. 

I have already talked to Bethany (the model for the shoot) and she has agreed to come back and redo the shoot. I hope to prep the shot beforehand so that it is quick and easy to get it all in. I think one of my major problems during the last shoot was that I was lazy and didn’t prep beforehand so instead of focusing on the shoot, I was running around grabbing pieces instead.

What to do for next time:

Preset up everything * fix background (make it wider and get a white one as well) * try using grey as one of the backgrounds and add clouds * link computer to camera (aka tether) * have her hold light inside of dangling it or tape it to a low stand * take all photos in manual mode

The Three Graces (my next shoot to work on) should be easier because I can flood the room with light and use that to my advantage. Regardless if I use all white or a sky background, the background for the photo will be white.

In my quest to understand what makes the best picture, I have placed two photos from this shoot with completely different edits. The one on the left has a natural edit in photo style whereas the one on the right was geared to appear more like a comic book or graphic novel. Please let me know which one you think is better in the comments below.

3fates - 2_pe1sm 3fates-shadows_pe-dragon noise controlsm