The Raven Queen
The Raven Queen
These images were captured during the second half of my shoot with the incredible sister team, Meg and Jen, where we switched the styling, make up and location! This second location, Roche Rock, is one of those places I'd always intended to scout out, but due to my chronic lack of time I never actually got the chance to. I knew it'd make for a fantastic backdrop, but I had no idea how accessible it was or the exact route to get there.
The Raven Queen
Thankfully, we found it fairly easily, although actually getting to it was an interesting leap of faith as the side we gambled on walking ended up being much steeper and more uneven than expected. At least I know for next time but lugging all our gear was a challenge, especially in the blazing afternoon sun! But we made it and my goodness, Roche Rock is even more stunning in person, easily a new favourite shooting location.
The Raven Queen
Jen had brought along an intricate birdcage, which made for the perfect prop, and had crafted an incredible crown of twigs which finished the look off perfectly. Meg looked hauntingly beautiful and despite the heat and bright sun, exuded a moody, dark vibe perfect for the aesthetic we were aiming for.
The Raven Queen
There were a few visitors at the rock who were intrigued as to what we were doing, but for the most part were very respectful and even offered to move out of the shot (totally unnecessarily but the thought was appreciated nonetheless!). Jen was a total star assisting, helping to give the cape volume when the wind failed us and holding my reflector to soften the extreme shadows from shooting in direct sunlight.
The Raven Queen
Despite having spent a good couple of hours shooting already, both Meg and Jen had so much energy and enthusiasm! They were both sharing so many great ideas for poses and shots. It felt like we were all on the same page creatively and producing some incredible images together. I was torn between wanting to keep going to capture more and stop so I could get the photos onto my laptop and edited!
The Raven Queen
We took the less steep option back to our cars and packed up to head home. I was buzzing with excitement to get the images transferred and begin editing! Whilst it was uploading I sent a sneaky peek to Jen and Meg from the back of the camera. I usually pick images I intend as final images at this point but it's hard to tell from the back of the camera.
Sneak peeks
Once the images are in Lightroom I start reviewing and selecting my favourites. I usually start by rejecting ones that are test shots, accidental ones, ones where I didn't quite get the framing or settings right. From there I start narrowing further and picking out the ones I want to edit, although I usually still end up with around 30 or more images and realistically I know I'm not going to have the time to edit that many! From that narrowed list, I'll pick a random one - not necessarily a favourite but a shot that stands out to me in some way - and then start playing with presets to get an idea on the lighting.
The Raven Queen
For this particular shoot I knew I wanted something dark and moody, so I played with cooler tones and stripped down the saturation. I do most of my editing within Lightroom Classic, which makes batch processing and mass colour corrections a breeze, before importing into Photoshop for any complex healing/cloning and any specific overlays - like the added birds in some of these shots. I've yet to convert to Lightroom CC, as it just doesn't have the additional features Classic does.
I was really pleased with how these came out and had so much fun capturing these on the day. Was great to get back behind the camera again and work with such a fun team. Have a long list of shoots lined up for the next few weeks with some familiar and some new creatives, can't wait to share them with you!
The Raven Queen
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