Lady in the Lake
I grew up watching movies about King Arthur and the infamous Lady in the Lake. There are many different interpretations of who she really was but to me she was a powerful warrior that guarded the sword Excalibur. I could write a long explanation that goes into the background of the characters but I know you’re just here for the cool pictures and a curiosity of how they were created.
Mae, my wonderful model, also grew up loving the legend of Arthur and Excalibur and was thrilled with the idea of a Lady in the Lake photoshoot but didn’t understand immediately how it was going to be done. Sometimes I get an idea in my head of something that’s never been done and say, “It’s easy..” and continue to ramble off the concept while shaking my hands wildly in the air. Let’s just say what’s easy in my head isn’t always easy in reality. Thankfully Mae had full trust in my vision after having worked with me for 13 years and knew that I could make it all a reality.
Here’s the breakdown of how I wanted to the shoot go: My family has a private pool in the country with enough privacy and distance that we can safely set-up off smoke bombs. Mae would adorn herself in all things fabulous and rise from beneath the water holding a sword (that she amazingly 3d printed herself). Two smoke bombs on the side of the pool would be set-off and my lovely friend and assistant Chrissy would fan the smoke in the right direction while Mae looked pretty. I would be lying on the ground a safe distance away taking photos.
Here’s what actually happened: The wind was so crazy there was absolutely no way of controlling the smoke. Chrissy ended having to jump into the pool, holding the smoke bombs and pacing back and forth around Mae, depending on the direction of the wind. I would sporadically yell, “Shake it! Shake it!” when I wanted the smoke to look like a fluffy cloud. I was not at a safe distance from the smoke and proceeded to get big clouds in my face which made for beautiful photos but not a comfortable position.
All told, it was a super fun day, I learned a lot and I cannot wait to do it again! Would you ever do a water smoke bomb photoshoot? See the behind the scene video at the end of this page to see us all in action.
xx Andrea
