Finding Fairies

Ever since I was a little girl, I've been enamored with all things magical.
I'm pretty sure I was influenced by movies like Legend, and The Labyrinth as I grew up, not to mention anything Disney.

Yes, I am an unrepentant Disney geek.

If fact, and this is no lie, if I am in any body of water larger than a hot tub, I will have pretended I was a mermaid at least once. I'm 31 years old. No, I am not ashamed of myself.
All I know is, anything that holds the slightest bit of fairytale magic will indubitably grab my attention and refuse to let go...kind of like those product testers at the mall.

I've mentioned my love of conceptual work before, and now I am following and pursuing that with a passion. My first big effort will be happening this July, when a crew of ridiculously talented people will be joining me to create a Fairy Wedding. There will be fairies, dryads, elves, brownies, and who knows what other magical creatures will join in the fesitivies!? It's like all my childhood fantasies are coming true at once and every time I think about it I almost burst with excitement.

It's a big undertaking, though. There is a whole lot of planning, casting, creating, and money that goes into making things like this happen. What is important, though, are the people who are making this possible.
Without their time and talent, I'd be sitting in the forest by myself; a sad little photographer dreaming of magics.

We have got some stellar talent on board for this project. If you've ever read the blog before, you've been introduced to Serena Cook of Esoteric Makeup, and Laura Klem of The Best Little Hair House. They're my dream team, and I know they are capable of creating any look that I can dream up. If you've stuck around for a while, you've also seen some of the gorgeous creations of Elizabeth Ritter, the Swift Stitcher. She's going to be creating one of a kind ensembles for our cast of characters.
Of equal importance are the models who will be giving these characters life. As a first for me, we will also have uber talented Jennifer Jensen on board, who is going to use her mad body painting skills to create real life dryads!

I can't pass up the opportunity to plug these artists because more people need to know about the talented artists that are out there pursuing their dreams and fighting to make a living doing what they love. Hans Iverson, Ronda Olshefski,  Jeff Marlatt, and Oryx Leucoryx will be principle models for the shoot, and I cannot WAIT to get them in front of my lens!

The crew and I have been planning and scheming for months now, and I can honestly say that I have never been more keyed up for a project than I am for this one. Here are a few examples from test shoots that will give you a good idea of where we are going with this project.

This first model is the gorgeous Kayla Altman, who came out to shoot for fun and absolutely ROCKED it.

This next model is the lovely Ronda Olshefski, who will be our fairy Queen, Titania.

Hair and makeup by Laura Klem and Serena Cook, costumes pieced together by myself (thanks Goodwill!) and Serena Cook, wings from the peerless Fancy Fairy Wings and Things, and ears by Aradani Studios.

I'm already more than excited about the images we've created so far. Once the final photos are in my computer, I may just pee on myself in pure ecstasy.