The latest Crypt Studios promo image "What a Drag!" came about when I was thinking of a new way to portray their company vehicle; a reaper-driven, death-black 1980 Cadillac Hearse.
When are cars at their most exciting? Hmmmmmmm... when they race. What's a plausible race that would involve a hearse? Hmmmmmmm... a DRAG race. What's a meaty looking muscle machine that wouldn't be afraid to take on the "Car of Darkness"? Easy. A screaming red 1972 Dodge Charger driven by none other than Elizabeth Syn. And who better to kick this carnival off than the mighty, sexy, fire-breathing, tattooed model goddess Miss Mischief!
Now when casting for these Crypt Studios promo shots I wasn't going to mess around with amateur talent. I needed models that deliver the goods. Miss Mischief is a seasoned fire breathing model who performs her own burlesque shows, models tirelessly all over the world, and is creative director for Tattoo'd Lifestyle Magazine. She's the perfect combination of bad-ass and sexy and was a no-brainer when it came to casting.
The final image is a three-part composite: model, cars, and background. Pre-visualization was of utmost importance when shooting the separate components as the lighting of the final composite scene is fairly complex. The three setups had to be believable once merged. The street lanterns and fireball are intended to be the main lighting sources but realistically, if I had actually used them, the overall image would have been rendered too stark with blocked up shadows. It would have been moody but amateur looking.
An array of softboxes, octaboxes, and hard lights were used to light the cars. I needed to simulate the type and angles of light the street lanterns would produce in the final image. The same strategy was used for lighing the model. The direction of the street lights, car headlights, and fireball was anticipated and simulated in her lighting setup as well. When the three scenes were brought together in Photoshop, it had to look seamless and convincing.
Shooting the fire-breathing portion was very cool in that, not only did I get to witness Mischief in action numerous times, but I actually got a chance to photograph someone breathing fire! Not your typical day at the office. She was very gracious and willing to blow flames over and over until we captured the perfect pose and fireball combination. What a trooper. It also proved to be fortuitous that we shot her separately from the cars. Repeatedly blasting flames at two gorgeous vehicles could have put me in the unfortunate position of having to pay for two paintjobs. That would've definitely put us over budget!
I'd like to thank everyone who helped make this killer image possible: Miss Mischief, Elizabeth Syn, Christie King on hair and makeup, Gail for providing her gorgeous Dodge Charger, Gwen for providing the space to shoot the cars, Joe, Chris, Jesse, and Ed for assisting, and of course the Grim Reaper for taking taking time away from stealing souls to pilot the hearse.
Here's a link to some side shots and behind-the-scenes images from the various Crypt shoots: Crypt Studios Promo Shots
Crypt Studios: www.cryptstudios.com
Miss Mischief website: www.iammischief.com
Miss Mischief on Facebook: Miss Mischief
Please visit my website: www.gperryimages.com
Visit me on Facebook: The Photography of Glenn Perry
All Images Copyright © The Photography of Glenn Perry