The Shield

Shield #1, 2009

Images from before my hiatus. Taken on Labour Day weekend.

I had a good plan that easily came together when Ryn and I found this abandoned spot on a hike in August. But the actual shoot a couple weeks later was maddeningly interrupted by people on dirt bikes - once we were discovered they seemed to come back more often... It was a too warm, there was strong sun causing squinting (on mine and Leia's part), and it was quite humid.

Before all that, I forgot part of her outfit and had to go back across the city to get it. Took forever to get the costume cheaply sourced - what there was of it. You can't buy loin cloths or tiny pieces of fabric apparently. The shield and sword were great though. Knowing a couple of people with props does help. :)

So, over all, I got quite frustrated. I let the Raw images sit unedited for a couple of weeks on the CF card. Then, looking for some inspiration, I Googled for some free Lightroom presets, figured out how to install them, and tried a few out on the series as a starting point for post work.I found a few that I liked and voila.

Shield #2, 2009

Shield #3, 2009

Shield#4, 2009

Shield  #6, 2009

With this last one, I thought I would portray some of the 'end of summer' vibe, the warmth, and the (aside from the photographic challenges) idyllic, timeless feel of the day. Sometimes you might feel you had a bad day, and yet gems like this appear. Life is, after all, what you make of it.

Shield #5, Guardian of the Forever Summer, 2009

Model: Leia D.
Props from Mike and Jenn
Make-up: costachic.com
Assistant: Ryn


Facebook readers will have to look at the original blog for the rest of the photos which are NSFW.


Mike