Fateful Return

    Every time Brittany comes to town, we create something new! It started in the Summer of '12, and since then we've created seven photo-shoot series together.  Most of our shoots together have had a very soft and dreamy atmosphere, this one included.  We didn't really know what we were going to shoot this day, but when she showed up the first outfit in hand, we kind of went from there to create something that felt as though it had a story to it.
    We created the shoot quickly, in a couple of hours while the sun was waning in the sky.  I made the decision to make the photographs hazy in-camera to do something a little different than all of the sharp, precise studio photos that I've been creating

    For a very long time I've wanted to create a shoot revolving around the myth of Persephone.  For those not familiar with the myth, Persephone's story is rather bittersweet.  As a young maiden, she's abducted by Hades, the god of the Underworld and taken back to his kingdom. Her mother, Demeter, goddess of fertility and the harvest is distraught at losing her daughter, and casts a famine on the Earth in her grief. While Persephone is in the Underworld, she is tricked by Hades into eating six pomegranate seeds, which will forever tie her to Hades' kingdom.  Zeus makes a deal with Hades that Persephone is allowed to go back to her mother for 6 months out of the year (she must stay with Hades as his Queen for 6 months out of a year as well, one month for every seed she partook in). For every Spring and Summer while Persephone is with her mother, we are brought bounty in the harvest and lush, beautiful flowers.  However, when she goes back to the Underworld, we are left with the sadness of Demeter that translates into Autumn and Winter.

   While not intended, I see a lot of the myth in this photo series.  I was always the most intrigued by Persephone's evolution from innocent floral maiden to losing her innocence at the taste of a forbidden fruit to becoming the willing Queen of the Underworld. At first, she is desperate to get home, but I'd imagine after falling in love with Hades that there is a certain sadness to her when she returns to her mother. The innocent maiden that used to shower flowers in her path turns into someone who dwells in the darkness instead.  She's fated to return every year, but sometimes I wonder if the brightness of the summer sun is too much for her after living in the dark kingdom, and perhaps she's grown to prefer the darkness.

Fateful Return, featured in Whim Online Magazine July 2015

You can see it in their issue, and read an interview with me here: http://issuu.com/whimonlinemagazine/docs/whim_issue_10

Model: Brittany Heuser

Photographed by Ashley Holloway

 

fp3000b film, shot with Polaroid 420

Impossible 600 film, shot with Polaroid Impulse

Hunter Denoyelles

     In April 2013 I met Hunter for the first time in person, and we've never been quite apart since! Shooting with me she's been a fairytale princess, the gum-popping leader of the pack with a canine sidekick, a restless bohemian drifter, a messy floral minimalist, and any number of fairy-tale bridal inspired characters for Elibre's lookbooks! In fact, here's a timeline of the series we've worked on together:
    We've done just about everything, but recently I started talking about seriously starting a collection of minimal makeup headshots showcasing the natural beauty of the model.  It's something I've really been enjoying over the past couple of years. When Hunter saw me posting about what I've come to term "Bare Beauty Headshots," she wanted in on the action! The point of this series of portraits is to show the model with minimal/natural makeup and non-distracting clothes (or in a lot of cases with an implied topless look for a true minimalist look). These shots aren't really about fashion, they're about the girl in front of my camera. I aim for an intimate feel, one that makes the viewer feel as though they have a connection with the subject, glamour isn't the intended effect.
   With Hunter's portraits, we had a few different ideas, some more "Bare Beauty" than others. I, of course, had to throw in a few 1/2 and 3/4 shots, so we had a full shooting day (I also photographed her model and friend Trina Waicul the same day). My favorite look was a black turtleneck that Hunter brought, whether converted to b&w or color with a red background, it looked AWESOME.I actually had to keep a b&w and color version of some of them, because I enjoyed both of them!
   We also did some super fun portrait collages showing off her personality, which she has in spades! I've seen a lot of photographers do these before, so I definitely wouldn't claim the idea as my own, but it was something fun and new to try for the day, and the results are pure fun!
    However my favorite portrait was the one at the end of the day when I told her to remove all her makeup, we took away the fashion styling and it was just Hunter.  The look was simple and clean, you could see visible freckles and she was as beautiful as always. This was the shot that I wanted from the day: vulnerable but strong and beautiful without pretense.

In my opinion, this is the "winning" Bare Beauty shot of the day <3

The girl of many faces!