Halloween Portrait 2022

14 years. Hard to believe it's been that long. It's getting harder to find the time. I have the ideas, but to get everyone together in one weekend is getting tougher. Last year it was last minute, and this year was the same. I still have not done the one I wanted to for the 13th Anniversary, not sure when I’ll be able to get that done. We almost didn’t do this year, because it just seems like the list of things to do gets longer and longer. I can thank Suzannah again for encouraging me to do the things I enjoy doing, not just the things that need to be done. Always find balance. Might learn that eventually.

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Tyler as a Goblin - Suzannah as a Banshee - Eric as a Gargoyle

This year’s theme?….Well, since I decided last minute..it was, ‘What can I do with what I have left from previous years.’ Sounds exciting, huh?

I went through the boxes of stuff we have stored away.. the old costumes, the makeup and the props. I looked up Halloween myths and monsters and picked three we haven’t done yet. I chose a Goblin, a Banshee and a Gargoyle. The only group photo is the one above. These three really didn’t go together, but it’s nice to mix things up every now and then.

Up first, The Goblin.

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Tyler as a Goblin.

If you have followed over the years, you might find Tyler’s outfit familiar. It was from the Skeleton Theme photo in 2014. It was really big back then and now fits him perfectly (glad I got the large size). The makeup was from the zombie set of airbrush paint for the zombie shoot. His hair was left over crepe hair from when we were werewolves. I had to buy the ears and nose. I was going to try and make them, but, I ran out of time.

2014 Tyler as a Skeleton warrior

Up next, Suzannah’s portrayal of a banshee. An Irish folklore of a female spirit who heralds the death of a family member, usually by screaming, wailing, and shrieking. It was perfect for her - Let’s see if she reads this. ; )

I had to get a new wig, but the makeup was from the skeleton shoot, and the sheets were leftover from The Mummy shoot, ripped in the same style as Tyler’s mummy was. The shirt she is wearing is the one I wore as Fred from the Scooby Doo shoot.

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Suzannah as a banshee

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Tyler used a leaf blower to blow the ripped sheets and Sue’s hair. The leaf blower was a little strong and took some practice getting the right distance and strength. It did make for some funny outtakes. I had to composite many of the best parts of each photo for the final look.

Leaf blower was a little much.

Finally Eric as the gargoyle. mainly makeup from the zombie shoot. I bought the horns and balding cap (never used one before, I think next time I can get it a little neater). Also really hard to do your own makeup and get it everywhere it should be.

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Eric as a gargoyle

Before Photoshop.

The video below is a short time-lapse of the makeup process.

Hope you enjoy! We’ll be back next year.

Maybe.

Black Light Girls

I had a lot of supplies left from our Halloween shoot years ago and I was dying to use some of them. Lucky for me, Hannah and Skyler were excited at the chance to help me with that dilemma.

Skyler and Hannah in UV makeup

As beautiful and awe inspiring that black light photos appear, to make them happen is a messy operation. We used paint, glitter, brushes, tooth brushes, sponges, water and towels. You can be the neatest person possible, but these supplies get everywhere, especially the glitter.

Hannah in UV makeup

I created a black light ring light for the Halloween photos years ago and took it out of storage for this shoot. It’s a little heavy and bulky, but it gets the job done. For more photos from the Halloween shoot and a look at the black light ring display go here. (a new window will open up)

Skyler in UV makeup

All of the photos are taken with a 50mm lens with a wide open aperture. The iso is 200 and I’m using a tripod. There are not a lot of adjustments needed in Photoshop. It is up to you what you want to enhance. The HSL sliders are fun to play around with in Lightroom and of course some clarity, vibrance and sharpening. I really just tweaked these photos slightly because they look really good straight out of camera. Some needed a bit of exposure or high lights correction, but over all, it was minimal. My black light ring light was a huge help to keep the photos lit well.

Supernova Hannah

This was such a great shoot. The girls were fantastic and I can easily see them modeling if they wanted. They seemed to enjoy it a lot and posted them on social media. I really want to come up with some more ideas (or they can) and we can do another one soon.