Behind the Scenes of our 2014 Winter Photo Shoot

Last November Chris and I set up a photo shoot with first-time model Anna McIlwee, who was to be our Siberian Snow Princess in a beautiful winter landscape.

Trouble was, no winter landscape was to be had. Photos in the snow can be difficult to do well, and I had a strong vision for imagery we just couldn’t achieve with our local landscape and uncooperative weather.  So what did we do? Well here’s a behind-the-scenes look at our most conceptual photoshoot yet…




We set up a simple grey backdrop and some lights in our living room and had Anna pose with various props. I then put that Bachelor of Fine Arts to work and carefully comped her into a snowy fantasy landscape, adjusting color, contrast, and adding snowflakes.

Here you can see the grey paper backdrop, stands, and lights set up in our living room

I wasn’t exactly sure how it would all come out in the end, but I am so happy with the final result, and I hope you have enjoyed the images and behind-the-scenes video as well. ๐Ÿ™‚

14 Comments

  • vintagevisions27

    January 29, 2015 at 8:06 PM

    Your behind-the-scenes videos are so much fun to see. It's neat to see how everything comes together. Thanks for sharing.
    -Emily

    Emily's Vintage Visions

    Reply
  • Esther

    January 30, 2015 at 2:31 AM

    That is absolutely incredible!! I never would have thought it wasn't real.
    I did indeed enjoy the behind-the-scenes video!! It was really neat to see how it all works! ๐Ÿ™‚
    Thanks for sharing, and thanks for the incredible shoes!!! I am coveting the Claremonts right now….

    Reply
    • Lauren Stowell

      January 30, 2015 at 8:10 PM

      Well the results were already out for last Christmas – I'm a little late getting the video out, but better late than never ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  • AuntieNan

    January 30, 2015 at 12:04 PM

    This is right up there with those lovingly created "birch" trees you guys made for the 18th C riding outfit. I would never have guessed that you werent outdoors for this one!
    Beautiful!
    Nancy N

    Reply
    • Lauren Stowell

      January 30, 2015 at 8:11 PM

      Ah, you remember! That set took *forever* to put together, and we wanted to avoid that difficulty this time, so the background was illustrated. A totally different look, and I love both shoots, but the photoshop-fantasy-world was much easier to create!

      Reply
  • Anonymous

    January 30, 2015 at 4:56 PM

    Your work is always inspiring. Question. Where did you source the beautiful blouse she is wearing? Who do you find your models?

    Reply
    • Lauren Stowell

      January 30, 2015 at 8:18 PM

      Hi Elizabeth – the blouse is an antique I found on eBay. The model is the daughter of a friend of mine, who has also modeled several times for my company. ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  • SouthernDawn1860

    January 30, 2015 at 5:16 PM

    Amazing artwork! If you are ever in PA or the Tri-state area (by some wild chance!) and you need someone to do an 1860's shoot, I volunteer! ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Reply

Leave a Reply