The "fair maiden" dress... What is your favorite prop?

 I'm sure there a few photographers and artists that can relate to using props in their images.  We can enhance our art and story by using them!  Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't...

Today's prop: 
The "Fair Maiden" dress....

I came upon this dress somewhere in New Hampshire in 2014 I believe...one of my long long drives from Boston up to the coast of Maine.  I thought it was super home-made looking and a little dated.  However I've found over this last year or more that I've really had a lot of fun making photography with it.  

Why do I call it the "Fair Maiden" dress? 

Several reasons:
#1-it's white and shiny - everything that "fair" could mean.  Bright...takes light really well and REFLECTS light really well.

#2-my first name "Jennifer" means white wave, fair lady, fair enchantress, fair

#3- any time i use this dress now I have a common theme in which the person wearing truly takes this ugly white dress and gives it life...it has a liquid flow to it unlike ANY other dress i've ever owned.   

This image below was created around Cannon Beach, OR.  By the time this dress gets wet the flow no longer is apparent, but it still gives great shapes & inspiration.  I think the reflection is just amazing and gives me a sense of a mirror. 

 

This image was created at Haystack Rock.  A very dreamy place full of mystery and things that you can see at low tide...but i was there at HIGH tide. :(   The wind most often takes this dress and makes it look interesting and also is a great separator to dark backgrounds in any light scenario.  When its in full sun, it GLOWS!  

This image was created AFTER all the amazing 2 days of shooting with Jasmine.  I had wondered what it would look like on the ground or floating in the water.  I found however, that the waves would literally bunch it up and carry it out to sea....I almost let it go a little too long!  This dress has been good to me... I have put if through a lot so far.  I can tell you this much - it loves the beach... just as much as I do. :)  

 What props inspire you?  What props do you find yourself using over and over?  

Show me some images and tell me about your prop!!!!

Love Jen

The Promoting Passion Convention 2015: where WEIRD happens - part 1

Actually, WEIRD isn't too bad of a term if you know me.  I'd like to think I'm pretty out there and weird.  No matter where I am....THERE I am.  I try to immerse myself completely into something to learn, grow and be challenged.  When the Promoting Passion Convention came online...I guarantee you i was among the first to register.  I adore Brooke's spirit.  I adore being around like-minded people.  I knew that when she did a convention it would bring more people that I would meet and understand...and vice versa.

I for the life of me didn't remember if I had EVER been to North Carolina, but I figured why not now?  I was eager to reach out as soon as I could for room-mates and car-mates to drive from the aiport to the mountain.  I cannot say enough great things about both sets of ladies that I got to meet!  I'm so glad to have car-mated with Kyla, Rachael and Kristin!  And my roomies: Samantha P and Ani.  I feel that each person I got to be in close contact with were SO SPECIAL because we were all so like-hearted and like-minded.  That was so so so GREAT!  Ladies, you are awesome. 

We arrived to the mountain WAY after the sun went down...and I was so eager to get there knowing there were pre-convention convention things going on!  We made it JUST in time for dinner and ran over to the main hall to see a circle forming.  After I checked in and started eating like a mad woman...I had this URGE to go...."duck....duck.......... GOOSE!"

 As the arrivals began, our circle just got bigger and bigger and bigger.  We were starting to say things that were "surprising" about us...but I never got to say anything.  So, I just immersed myself into watching everyone else squirm and then we broke for the movie! :) 

I have to say it is always REFRESHING to see faces that you have seen ENDLESSLY online....but to see them in person?  Do you know JOY?  Well JOY is what I felt.  So excited to see all these faces together.  To see Brooke smiling and knowing she was working and playing at the same time. LOL!!!! 

I was fully excited for the INTIMATE setting we had created and just open to have fun and learn more about myself and others.  Creativity comes in so many forms...and I appreciate how different we all are in that.  But, we also have this commonality you know?  Was I really HERE for the next few days?  What would happen...what would it become?  What might I create? :) 

DAY ONE:  

I think the BEST opening statement I could have ever caught was being my unique WEIRD self. :)  Even among weird people I FEEL WEIRD!  WEIRDER!  I try not to let that dictate how I communicate - so this time I just let it all go.  I put down every expectation - every fear - every worry.....so I could be my VERY true and authentic self.  And I also determined at every meal - I would rotate tables and sit with different people EACH TIME.  Did anyone else do that?  I did.  I wanted to make sure I allowed myself to listen AND be heard all in one swoop.  :)

The fog and rain were a bit much for me at first...I simply forgot to pack ANYTHING remotely warm.  As the time went on and I realized how far we had to walk and how many STAIRS we had to climb...I changed my outfits every day to reflect that. lol!!  That last day though - I had my finished outfit already picked out. 
I was excited to hear from Mitch/Shalem about their creativity and how they approach ideas/photography!

One thing about their class - is it was over way too fast! haahaha! We didn't get to do another look because we simply ran out of time - but I had a blast getting to know their passions. :)

I don't recall what the rest of the day held....but I'm pretty sure it was awesome....especially towards the night-time when I met up with Mika.  Mika shared a fear with Brooke apparently and then shared a fear with me.  While watching Brooke work outside in pitch black and rain - I went back inside to talk to Mika again about facing the fear.  We walked out after finding an ice light to LIGHT her (because by now it was pitch black outside) and assisted by Krystal helped Mika with her very own photo shoot near the woods.  To the naked eye, you dont' see what is really happening.  You don't see the tears or the shaking...you see a woman FLYING in/around the woods facing the very real fear.   She will have to tell you the FEAR that faced.  I just know I was lucky to talk her into coming outside NEAR the woods, much less INTO the woods!!! :)  
(she saved that for post-convention)

As she kept leaping in the shot...she seemed to get less and less nervous about THAT area.  I loved that.  For me, I was watching someone face their fear using baby steps.  Just getting OUT THERE and facing it.  Thanks to Mika for trusting me to capture that moment...even if it was cold, rainy and dark! :)  Oh, and she borrowed Brooke's dress for it. :)  TEE HEE HEE!
Thus ended the evening for me....

My next blog will be part 2 :) 

Passionates, have you written about your experience yet? :)

Love Jen

Inspiration for "Resident Evil" photo shoot last summer!

I'm going to share my inspiration for last years' photo shoot with the always AMAZING Jane Love.  
I took an idea/look from the opening cinematography scene of "Afterlife" and ran with it.  I just love re-creating or having fun with ideas spawned by characters that already exist.  

Here we have....the lady in the street....

We were able to pull this off in my backyard in pitch black of night.  We matched the wardrobe as closely as we could and then she turned "zombie" for me!  Thanks Jane for always rolling with my ideas!!

Love Jen

The feature in Visionary Magazine!

I was soooo excited to share this folks!!!
I have been SO eager to share some of the amazing images we cooked up in Madison WI! 

Here are some of the teasers.....
Later on, I will share more of a behind-the-scenes talk and tutorial... :)

Love it!

The making of my "high fashion" styled pyramid head.

Hi everyone! Welcome to my little cosplay blog today!

I wanted to run through something VERY FUN I did for this year's comicon in addition to my Destiny Guardian!  In the matter of an afternoon - I decided to make the "travel size" version of Pyramid Head and his helmet.  The reason I made it travel size is because I was traveling to After Dark in Madison WI and I had some AMAZING ideas to turn this into a fashion style shoot!  Boy...did it ever meet my expectations!!!  Here is how I started the journey....

Inspiration:

I never played the video game, but I did see the movies BASED on the video games!  I was completely horrified by this character!  And what I do now, is start reading back stories on who they are, their purpose and whatnot.   I found this character to be horrific, as well as a guardian of sorts.  There was a dimension that he ruled and walked in.  I found inspiration in that!  I also found LOTS of tutorials on making helmets out of cardboard and masking tape.  So when I had made my Guardian Apotheosis Veil - I took that inspiration and started making the pyramid helmet.

Here I start with a basic paper template and lots of cardboard leftovers!!!!

By day two - I had pulled out my copper spray paint and started painting everything in sight!  Based upon the pictures I looked all over my house for scrap materials and things I would have to add as details!  It just so happened that popsicle sticks, beads and cabinet liners were the perfect mish mash to create the look!

You will also notice though - I screwed up on the bottom part of the helmet.  I didn't pay attention to the "lip" of the helmet on the bottom...and so I had to re-cut and re-tape the bottom part.  Oh well, we always learn by mistakes!!!!

Spray painted everything copper!!! Found a great metallic paint!!!

Cabinet liner

Starting to hot glue and add details - except the front is really messed up here :\

Found water bottle caps, popsicle sticks and beads to make the piping.

I also found some old grommets I had laying around.

This is my first fitting - I still don't have a way to wear it yet.

It is looking pretty awesome by now!!!  Just have to fix the bottom and attach to my head!

After the most of the majority of assembly - I flattened it back out and SHOVED it into my suitcase!  I traveled on the plane with the underpiece and then modeled it on my friend Jane Love the next evening for our photo shoot.  Here are our test shots to see the whole outfit together!

Model: Jane Love
Fashion Designer: RFD by Rachel Frank
Photography: Pink Light Images

And here was my FINAL art piece that I was ENTHUSIASTIC about!!!!!

 AMAZINGGGGGGGGG :) 

However, I was not complete - I had to complete another look I desired the next morning.  I took Chelsea over to the Capitol building and continued with the lighter high fashion version.  I was sooooo happy with how this turned out too! It was awesome! Check it out: 

Model: Chelsea Goers - dress provided by Jen Sulak

 Was deliriously happy with this travel size "suitcase" version!!! It was a great challenge and I loved working on it!!!!  

I then wore it myself to Comicon May 2015. :)  Enjoy!