Fun? If we look at our lives, many times it becomes clear that we don’t have enough of it. It’s up to us, as adults, to go out and create fun every time we get a chance to. Photo shoots  are fun in themselves, but when you mix them with the antics of Halloween, like Briana Deshields did with her event at The Model Wearhouse, they become a BLAST!

There is something about Halloween and its fantastical nature that naturally causes the models to be less inhibited and more willing to “play the role.” Let’s face it- dressing up is fun! Getting the chance to play pretend, especially to play someone or something make-believe – allures our imagination. It entices us to tap into the creative side of our brains that we like to switch off when we are busy in the real-world. Work, chores, errands, obligations and responsibilities- nothing wrong with them! But we shut down our creativity when we go through them. We go through the motions, due to the repetitive and perpetual nature of these tasks, and almost forget that we have exciting emotions and passions lying just below the surface of our thoughts.

Passion can be a great motivator for all of us. Think of cosplay. Cosplay has become more and more popular over time but still has just a cult following. A relatively small group of fans, with a strong emotional bond, very dedicated and passionate about what they follow, gets together and organizes grand events for all of the participants to enjoy. Our event at The Model Wearhouse wasn’t quite as big as some of those cosplay events can be, but we had just as much passion, and just as much fun!

A professional make-up artist and clever costumes created scary characters such as an “It” girl, an evil gypsy, a sly cat-girl, a creepy clown, a homicidal nurse and a skeleton rising from a fiery pit. My camera and I took these characters and brought them to life with eerie levitations, diabolical flames, dark alleyways, ominous balloons and other advanced photoshop editing and compositing techniques.

Where the models’ fun and passion ended, mine began. One of my greatest passions is being behind the lens, but an equally important passion for me is the compositing and editing I do with the images in Photoshop, as you can see in my portfolio section titled Before and After. Creating a moment that never existed, a fantastical image that was never meant to be-  that’s where my fun lies.