Therese Pendragon, Parting the Mists of Avalon - Behind The Scenes

The Proj.Mgr. assisting with props.

Lighting change during second half of shoot (test shot).

Mystic Woman, Therese, test shot -  beginning of shoot.

A sneak peek of William and Tabitha assisting Therese.

Therese arrived early in the afternoon on Sunday with her friend Tabitha.  William, the Project Manager, had arrived in Salem a couple of days prior to the shoot, to assist me in the studio.  He and I both knew this was going to be a tough shoot and that there was no way I could do it alone.  My vision was complex and required manipulating air/fabrics/shadows AND lighting.  So, a couple of months ago William volunteered to come and assist me  (he also had business to tend to in Salem).

The vision was of Therese in a canoe with her staff,  floating toward the mists...then parting them with her staff and of course her majick.  I knew it was going to be difficult...but, I had no idea that it would require two assistants, me, and Therese  to bring the vision into this realm/reality.  Fortunately, Freyja was watching out for the project yet again...by sending Tabitha and William.  We simply could not have achieved these shots without the two of them.

Therese was dressed and ready to begin when she arrived.  However, my vision called for her hair to be up (very Goddess like), and since she did not know exactly what I wanted,  she left it up to me to do it.  Being the considerate person that Therese is, she came equipped with an assortment of pins and clasps for me to choose from.   She also had several outfits w/props for me to choose from.  However, when I first saw Therese upon arrival, I knew she nailed the outfit from the get-go!  We got her hair done and decided upon the props to be used, then proceeded.

Even before we began the shoot,  my eyes quickly began fogging up...as if there were a film of vaseline over my iris'.  I rubbed, clawed, used eye drops, etc...but it got no better.  I had to rely on William to tell me if the beginning shots were in focus or not.  All I could see on the LED screen of the camera was a very blurred image...but, somehow I knew they were good, and instincts told me to keep going.  That's just what I did...with NO clear vision.  After the shoot, when I called it a wrap...I was helping take Therese's hair down, it occurred to me that her hair seemed damp and slick.  I asked her if she had hair oil in it...she confirmed.  Instantly I realized that I had literally blurred my eyes with oil (as I have a bad habit of touching my eyes without realizing it)!  However, even without 20/20 the shoot was a smashing success!

So, the moral of this story is...obviously, I won't be helping with hair again.  It is critical that your photog has her eyes!  hee hee :}   You'll never know it when you see her shots though, they are truly gorge and VERY, VERY mystical!!!

Therese, Tabitha, and William worked so hard prior to, during, and after the shoot.  You all were a pleasure to work with and I cannot thank you enough.  We experienced intensity, focused thoughts, some laughs, and had some majickal assistance from time to time.  But,  most importantly...I called it a  "wrap" knowing that we had just created and achieved something quite extraordinary.  I also knew at that point,  this shoot would be impossible "re-create" ever again.

Mission Accomplished :}