Villains, Vamps, & Theives
Our first shoot was inspired by Virginia Woolf's Orlando. We were trully fortunate to have two beautiful models to portray Orlando in his/her male and female forms - Joanna Burgess and Jimi Kocina.
To continue with our Steampunk themed shoots, we decided to try a twist with our second shoot. We mixed it up - two fictional men with a historical woman. We portrayed three iconic figures from literature and history - Mata Hari, Moriarty, and Robin Hood - all in the same shoot. We could not have asked for three more perfect models than Charidy Sullivan LaFontaine, Dan Bauman, and Chris Burns.
The results were more than we could have ever imagined!
You can see the results of this shoot in our Steampunk Style gallery.
Our next Steampunk shoot is scheduled for August 1st. We're going to recreate the characters of Peter Pan and Hook by J.M. Barrie. However, we have decided to take a slightly different approach. Peter Pan has been portrayed by a female many times, but what about a female Peter AND a female Hook done in the Steampunk style? The shoot will feature Kelly Silverman as Peter Pan and Sarah Onsager as Captain Hook.
Check back in August to see the shoot photos!
Preview - Villians, Vamps, & Thieves
Well, our 2010 project is underway, and the first shoot was nothing but spectacular. George did a fantastic job with the hair and makeup! The two models could have easily been two versions of the same person. As one Facebook commenter put it, “Holy gender-bender!”
Larry tried his hand at creating a vest for Jimi, as well as goggles and the coolest futuristic gun we’ve ever seen. We’re starting to believe there isn’t anything he can’t do.
Then there’s the amazing models. Neither Jimi nor Joanna had ever done a shoot with us before, but they both were very eager and brought the most infectious excitement to their respective shoots. It made the photographer’s job so easy, considering he did both shoots right after being diagnosed with pneumonia. Maybe he should do more shoots like that.
Our second shoot of the series will be Villains, Vamps, and Thieves. This time, we’re going to do four separate characters - Professor Moriarty from the Sherlock Holmes novels, Dejah Thoris from A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the spy Mata Hari, and the legendary Robin Hood. Since these characters are so well known from the movies and television, we’re going to rely highly on one of Steampunk’s core concepts - the alternate timeline.
We’re very happy that all four models agreed to do the shoot. We’ll be photographing Stephanie Allen Hopkins, Dan Bauman, Charidy Sullivan Fontaine, and Chris Burns. We should have a shoot date set soon, you’ll have to check back in a few months to see the results.
You can see more of the Orlando Steampunk shoot in our Steampunk Style gallery.
The image to the left is of Googie Uterhardt from the group Steampunk shot we did last year. If you missed it, check it out in our Group Reacreations gallery.
Orlando - Steampunk Style
This is the first shoot in our Steampunk Series. We’re using fictional and historical characters as inspiration for this series. The point is not to retell the story with photos, but to use the story as the inspiration for the wardrobe, hair, make up, location, and lighting.
Orlando tells the story of a young man named Orlando, born in England during the reign of Elizabeth I, who decides not to grow old. A persistent suitor's harassment leads to Orlando's appointment by King Charles II as British ambassador to Constantinople. Orlando performs his duties well, until a night of civil unrest and murderous riots. He falls asleep for a lengthy period, resisting all efforts to rouse him. Upon awakening he finds that he has metamorphosed into a woman—the same person, with the same personality and intellect, but in a woman's body.
The concept was to use two models, one male and one female, to portray the duality of Orlando - male/female, wealth/commonality, black/white, etc. George and Larry did the most amazing job with the hair and make up, and we couldn’t have asked for two better models!
We hope you enjoy our first shoot for this project. There are many more photos coming, so check back!
You can see more of the Steampunk shoot in our Steampunk Style gallery.
Modern Day Dandy
A dandy (also known as a beau, gallant or flamboyant person) is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies. Historically, especially in late 18th- and early 19th-century Britain, a dandy, who was self-made, often strove to imitate an aristocratic style of life despite coming from a middle-class background.
Given these connotations, dandyism can be seen as a political protestation against the rise of egalitarian principles — often including nostalgic adherence to feudal or pre-industrial values, such as the ideals of "the perfect gentleman" or "the autonomous aristocrat".
Back in the Spring, we did a shoot that paid homage to the great technicians in Atlanta theater by featuring some of them in our Film Noir themed shoots. It got such a great response, that we decided to use another distinguished group - the men of Atlanta theater. Some are actors. Some are designers. Some are musicians. But they're all talented in their own right.
You can see the results from the both shoots in our Group Recreations gallery. These shoots feature the talented and handsome Marcelo Banderas, Grant Bookhultz, Theo Harness, and Chuck Welcome, Geoffrey Brown, William Brown, Larry Dean Davis, and Topher Payne.
Steampunk Style
Steampunk is a sub-genre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date.
Steampunk fashion has no set guidelines, but tends to synthesize modern styles as filtered through the Victorian era. This may include gowns, corsets, petticoats and bustles; gentlemen's suits with vests, coats and spats; or even military-inspired garments. Often, steampunk outfits will be accented with a mixture of technological and period accessories: timepieces, parasols, goggles and ray guns.
I have to admit - I had no idea what Steampunk was when a coworker mentioned it to me about six months ago. Fortunately, he described the coolness of hte genre so well, that I couldn't resist doing further research. This shoot seemed to come together like clockwork. Jenny Heston Heady sews amazing creations in the Steampunk stlye. You can see her amazing dresses and accessories at Wicked Wench on Facebook.
Then, Larry said he knew someone at a theater in Atlanta who was a part of Steamfest. They were doing a Steampunk styled version of Shakespeare's The Tempest. So, Larry called up Lainey Welsch, and she was happy to lend her costuming and accessory talents for the men. Check out her work on her Facebook page.
As always, George came in with the most incredible hair and make up ideas. He never ceases to amaze us. Every idea we've ever thrown at him, he has met and surpassed the challenge!
If the 541 views we got on our Flickr Photostream are any indication, there is a huge Steampunk fan base out there. Which proves that our poject for 2010 was the perfect choice. We're going to be doing a series of shoots of historical and fictional characters in the Steampunk style. We've already chosen the characters for our first two shoots. In January, we'll be doing Virginia Woolf's "Orlando". In March, we'll be doing Villians, Tramps, and Thieves. This will be a shoot with the characters of Moriarty, Cleopatra, Mata Hari, and Robin Hood. We're very fortunate to have both Lainey and Jenny helping us out with our upcoming Steampunk project.
So, check back soon to see what models we'll be using in what will certainly be a very cool and adventurous project for 2010!!
You can see more of the Steampunk shoot in our Group Reacreations gallery.
