As I was loading my most recent Dark Magic shoot into Lightroom on my computer I thought a lot about the fact that photographing is literally the least amount of time we spend on these projects. Most of the time is spent in the before and the after. The brainstorming, Pinterest boards, internet searches, research, and conceptualizing beforehand and the editing after can often be all consuming but in a very fun way.

Savannah and I knew what the theme for this shoot would be and we knew exactly where we wanted to shoot - in front of a lovely, ethereal Megan Jefferson mural in my dear friend’s dining room. Savannah has the lovely fairy wings that she creates and she chose fabric and accessories that would add to the feel of the shoot. You see, many of the costume/wardrobe pieces we use end up being not much more than several yards of fabric draped around her body to give the illusion of a dress or a fully functioning costume. Now trust me, that’s definitely not always the case but it mostly was for this shoot.

The day of our session we both arrive with a fair amount of baggage to really be able to create the way we want, with as much flexibility as possible. We move through our shoots with a basic idea in mind but we never truly have every last detail nailed down - that feels a little like it would strip us of part of the creative fun! The setup, which includes hair & makeup, costuming prep, getting the location setup exactly how we need for shooting…it all is very time consuming and can take anywhere from 45 minutes to several hours. During this process we spend a lot of time chatting about goals for the session, as well as going over poses and the general feel of the session/theme.

When it gets to the shooting side of things, often times we have everything we want/need within the first 45 minutes. Because we are both busy mamas and have a lot of other things going on in our lives, sometimes that’s just it and we have to call a wrap before we really want to! ;) The days that feel like a real gift are the days we are able to explore our ideas a little more and dive into things a little deeper that usual. That’s often when the magic really happens, when we are able to give ourselves the time to really let our minds unfold. Either way, our sessions together almost always end with Savannah rushing off in costume makeup to pick her kids up from elementary school. I have no doubt the other school kids think that there’s either a really real magical fairy and also some sort of demon who come to pick M + A up from school at times and it always puts the biggest smile on my face just thinking about it!

Once we clean up shop and move on, that’s when my biggest efforts come into play. While I’ve been shooting fantasy style work with Savannah for years now, I’m always trying new techniques and experimenting with different ways to achieve the final look I have in my mind. Even though I had stepped away from Photoshop (in favor for Lightroom for basic editing) in years gone by, I’ve been rekindling my relationship with the program in the past year because it really helps me get closer to where I want to be with the final outcome of my fantasy portraiture. While I do not edit in a way that changes Savannah’s (and other humans) body size or permanent aspects of bodies, I do give an overall glowing/softening feel to skin because it is, after all, fantasy work! It’s been so, so fun to relearn Photoshop in a way that is so new and unfamiliar to me!

And because I know so many of you just love the before and afters - I’d love to share the three steps of an image with you! First, is straight out of camera, or SOOC. Since the weather outside was super moody and rainy we didn’t have the beautiful side light from the giant window in the room and I had to supplement with my Lume Cube Studio Kit. I don’t necessarily LOVE these as a light source at times but in tiny tight quarters (read: living in a short school bus and shooting in a small room) they provide just the right amount of light and they get the job done. You’ll notice in the SOOC image that the light is a little more harsh in spots than I like, and the white balance is definitely a bit off and magenta leaning.

Once I have everything imported into Lightroom I take a few moments to choose the right base edit. Sometimes that is a hand edit, sometimes it’s one of my own presets I’ve created for my work, and other times I reach for one of my favorite Archipelago Presets, which give me the perfect base to create from.

The next step is Photoshop. This is where I do more fantasy fine tuning: Skin softening, color gradients, textures and overlays and more. It feels a little like painting to me as I build the layers, experiment and erase and retry again, then I keep going until I feel like it’s almost where I want everything. My final step is going back into Lightroom and making any very last tweaks needed to polish things up…and then it’s done! When it comes to Dark Magic sessions, I can spend anywhere upward of an hour or more on a single image, depending on my final vision. So when clients book Dark Magic sessions with me, most of the final images will be complete at the end of the first Lightroom step. Depending on which Dark Magic session is booked, there can be one or multiple fine art finished portraits that make it all the way through the Photoshop step. But just LOOK at the magic that comes out of it and how that last step really ties everything together and gives a true fantastical feel!

If you’ve ever considered booking a Dark Magic Session I would LOVE to invite you to connect with us! I will be booking in Pensacola next month, Indianapolis in March and May/June, Utah in April/May and the PNW in July. Spots are limited and I’ll be traveling with a capsule fantasy closet to create while on the road.

Are you a hobbyist or professional photographer who would like to learn the ins and outs of my editing process? I’m now offering virtual and in person mentoring sessions to fit a wide range of budgets!