the haunted

the other night i was watching a halloween special on tv with gunnar. he kept telling me it was scaring him, but when i told him we should turn it off if it was frightening he begged me to keep it on. he was thrilled by being afraid. such an interesting thought. we all are actually. studies prove that when we are scared there is an endorphin released in our bodies that makes us feel “good” and “safe”, when we realize that what we are seeing or experiencing isn’t real. it’s actually pretty interesting to think about. does anybody else wonder why the lady in the movie always walks into the dark room because she heard a “strange” sound? we are intrigued too and we go with her, even though we don’t want her to go. there is something magnetizing about fear; a juxtaposition of ideas for sure.

when katrina and i started conceptualizing our october side kick i knew i wanted to play on this idea. i wanted the images to be unsettlingly magnetizing. we both wanted to do something distinctive and noteworthy; something that had never been done. i knew i wanted to push myself in terms of  shooting and post processing.  we knew we had a good idea on our hands when we couldn’t even talk about it without our own spins tingling. we hadn’t created it yet, but the thought was so developed in our heads that merely discussing it, conjured the fear and intrigue. while post processing these images, even though i knew they were real people, it still freaked me out on a certain level.

the objective of all photography should be to create a human emotion: remembrance, love, respect, joy, happiness, gratitude, and even, if it’s what you are going for, fear.

may the endorphin that replaces fear with safety set in. may you be hauntingly pulled in to these images!! may you look behind you when you feel a cool breeze pass and there are no windows open.

may you consider what’s there that you don’t see.

may you be haunted.

we shot all these images in a historic 1893 carriage house. i am so grateful to the owners for allowing us to be on their property. i knew when i first saw it that it would be perfect for what we have envisioned. i had my heart set on it actually, there was something pulling me to it for sure…

love the next two.

we were able to shoot a bit on the grounds too. the house sets on what used to be sunkist acres. it felt like haunted mansion property to me; it was perfectly spooky.

with any successful venture there are alway supports to thank:

katrina: thank you for sharing the vision and supporting it from start to finish. your hair, make up and styling was genius, friend! thank you!!

the carriage house owners: thank you for allowing us to make a vision happen; we are so grateful to have been on your property.

casey, jr, kalynne, and hannah: i know you are living but you were so believable as the dead that i have to remind myself. ;) thank you for being a part of our idea; you were perfect!!

to everyone who came: thank you for sharing in the energy and excitement of the shoot. it was so good meeting. i have loved seeing what you created that day too!!

here’s to more creativity that motivates curiosity!! here’s to fear that intrigues us on an indescribable level!!

here’s to a very safe and memorable hallow’s eve!!! happy halloween everyone!! may it be filled with the haunted!!

ps if you want to know how i post processed these images come to my side kick on photoshop. i’ll disclose it all! (date: tba)

pps registration for the november side kicks launches soon. november 12th: how to shoot kids, and november 19th: how to shoot couples. would love to have you!!