Valley Catholic High School’s Hanna wanted her high school senior portraits to be different. So, she and her Mom set out on an elaborate plot to create their own version of the “Vampire Diaries!” (You can click on the images below to see larger versions).
When Hanna and her mom contacted me, I immediately fell in love with the idea. They found an amazing dress that they rented through an online dress shop. And I connected them with the talented Sasha Steifel of Sensayshenal Makeup Artistry, who constructed a hair and makeup design to reflect the style of the popular television series.
Then, it was up to me to identify the perfect location – one that could mimic the dark and slightly macabre backgrounds found in the Vampire Diaries scenes. We settled on the 90 acre Jenkins Estate, operated by the Tualitan Hills Park District near Beaverton Oregon. Permission to use the site for photography is required, but the property proved to be the perfect place to achieve the effect we were after. Using off camera strobe lights and reflectors, we were able to create a dark forest type of look even though the park itself received plenty of daylight.
And at her mother’s request, we took some time for some sibling portraits as well.
When Hanna isn’t playing a vampire, she dances and plays the harp. The image below was taken in Hanna’s home during a short stop immediately following our portrait session at the Jenkins Estate. With the right lighting, the staircase in Hanna’s home took on an almost midevil, castle-like feel and together with the harp produced a sophisticated portrait very different from the vampire diaries images above.
