Photo credit: Jered https://www.instagram.com/iamjered/

Models Katarina Countiss and Dominique Nigro https://www.instagram.com/earthenergy/

The theme of this photo shoot revolved around Bird Creatures, capturing the reality of handmade masks in a natural setting. I was inspired by my love for Lake Anza and my ongoing experiments with different mask styles. These geometric bird masks truly come alive in performance, and the natural environment seemed perfect, adding a dreamy quality to the shoot.

📍Location: Lake Anza

The shoot took place at Lake Anza, a location chosen for its proximity, beautiful lake, and lovely path with trees. The area also features a field that provided a versatile backdrop for our photos. My role in the shoot included being the Artistic Director, Logistics Collaborator, Model, and Costumer. I worked closely with Dominique Niagara, a fellow performer, and Jared, our photographer.

🎥A Memorable Moment

One particularly memorable moment during the shoot was when we worried whether the film would turn out due to the unpredictable behavior of the old camera. The lighting varied dramatically on different sides of the mountain; we anticipated golden light but were met with overcast and foggy conditions.

🧶Mask Construction

I used crochet and lace to construct the masks, which contributed to the final result with a fluffy, round texture and a delicate material for the beak. The beak was transparent, allowing the layering of the cone’s round sides to show, as well as the stitches from hand sewing. This unique construction, inspired by masks with lace for the face, added to the distinctive look of the masks. The cone part was inspired by a metaphor I’ve been exploring involving parrots—creatures needing a certain kind of care that we don’t necessarily know how to provide.

🎨Artistic Vision

These photos align with my personal style and artistic vision, incorporating handmade costumes, graceful poses, and allusions to ritual or mythos. I want viewers to experience a sense of child-like play, mystery, intrigue, and dreaminess from these photos.

🖤Innovative Aspects

One innovative aspect of this shoot was working with film that will be developed in black and white. We considered how the textures would interact with the background and the bodies in the composition. These images connect with my previous work of creating performances with handmade props and surreal photo shoots in natural settings, using natural light.

🌟Future Plans

I plan to do more photo shoots with these masks, potentially inviting more collaborators, and possibly create some kind of photo zine.