Snaptober Day 11. Prompt: Monster.
Even in the Arizona desert, sirens can be found lurking in the dark waters of our rivers.
For this shoot, I worked with Joy (@Ziggaty on Instagram), who is a horror buff and a familiar face in Arizona's spooky and horror community. She had seen some of my other mermaid photoshoots and told me she wanted her own, but with a darker twist. I was SO excited!
I love creating light, airy, and dreamy photoshoots, but give me the opportunity to create something dark, spooky, and alternative, and I'm all in. There's something so much fun about taking a familiar fantasy concept and turning it into something a little more mysterious and dangerous.
For this session, we wanted to create a dark siren lurking in the waters of the Salt River in Mesa, Arizona. Beautiful, otherworldly, and maybe just a little dangerous. Because not every mermaid wants to be part of a fairytale!
Photographing a Siren in the Arizona Desert
We photographed this session at the Salt River in Mesa, Arizona, just as the sun was going down.
Photographing at dusk helped us create the dark, spooky atmosphere we wanted. As the natural light faded, the river became a much more mysterious setting for our mermaid.
We also used shadows to hide parts of Joy in some of the images, making it feel as though she was disappearing into the darkness. Rather than revealing everything about the character, we let the shadows conceal parts of her and leave a little more to the imagination.
I love using lighting this way because it can completely change how a photograph feels. Instead of simply documenting a costume in a beautiful location, we can use light and darkness to help tell a story.
A mermaid photographed in bright sunlight might feel whimsical and dreamy. Put that same character in the water at dusk, add dramatic lighting, and let parts of her disappear into the shadows, and suddenly she becomes something else entirely.
That's one of the reasons I love creative photoshoots so much. You can transform a location, a costume, and a character into something that feels like it belongs in a completely different world.
And you don't necessarily need an elaborate set to do it!
Working With Lighting to Bring the Dark Siren to Life
This shoot was a team effort! While I was photographing Joy, Barb (@wingspandigital on Instagram) was capturing video, and my fiancé was helping us with the lighting.
Barb and I each had a small light attached to our cameras, while my fiancé worked with additional lighting to create either a backlight or a spotlight, depending on where we were photographing in the water. That combination helped us create different looks throughout the session while maintaining the dark, cinematic atmosphere we wanted.
A backlight can help separate someone from a dark background, creating an almost otherworldly glow around their silhouette. A spotlight, on the other hand, can draw attention to a particular part of the scene while leaving the surrounding environment in shadow. For a dark fantasy photoshoot, those differences can make a huge impact.
Sometimes, the goal isn't to illuminate everything perfectly. It's to decide what the viewer should see, what should remain hidden, and how those choices help create the feeling of the image.
Of course, we also had to contend with the insects in the area! We were being swarmed by bugs throughout the shoot, and one of my lights ended up filled with tiny gnats simply because there were so many of them. Apparently, the bugs also wanted to participate in our dark mermaid photoshoot.
Creative photography isn't always glamorous, but at least we got some spooky photos out of the experience!
Looking for a Dark Fantasy or Alternative Photographer in Phoenix, Arizona?
If you're part of the goth, horror, alternative, cosplay, or fantasy community and have been looking for a photographer who understands your aesthetic, I'd love to work with you!
As a Phoenix, Arizona-based creative photographer, I love collaborating with people who want to create something outside the ordinary. Whether you're dreaming of dark fantasy portraits, gothic photography, horror-inspired images, creative cosplay photos, or something completely original, we can work together to bring your vision to life.
And you don't need to arrive with a fully developed concept.
Maybe you have a Pinterest board full of dark, moody images. Maybe you have a costume you've been dying to photograph. Maybe you know you want something gothic, ethereal, spooky, or strange, but you're not quite sure how to turn that aesthetic into an actual photoshoot.
That's okay! We can start with whatever you have and build from there.
I love collaborating with my clients, exploring ideas, and figuring out how to bring their fantasies into the real world through photography. You can come to me exactly as you are, with your ideas, your interests, and your own unique style. We'll work together to create something that feels right for you.
Your photos don't have to be light and airy. They can be dark, dramatic, weird, whimsical, spooky, or anything else you can imagine.
Ready to step into your fantasy? I'll meet you there. Book a photoshoot today!
This is Day 11 of Snaptober, inspired by the prompt Monster. Follow along throughout October as I continue exploring different prompts, experimenting with creative concepts, and finding new ways to bring fantasy to life through photography.
Happy Snaptober!
