Magical Festivals

General information

Lunaesque is a team of photographers, designers, models and actors, who share a mutual vision and insane desire to create beautiful imagery. Most of us have successful full time careers within the creative industry, so all of the work that we do on the various Lunaesque projects, is carried out in our spare time and is self funded.

Dawn (Druidess Of Midian) & I first met up with Carri from ‘The Dark Angel and her family in Whitby, where I had arranged to shoot a collection of ‘Dark Angel’ garments with a ‘Pirate’ theme. Carri was over in the UK from her studio in Los Angeles so decided to join us for the shoot.

The creativity chemistry was an instant click. Working with another photographer on set can often be the most awkward, frustrating and difficult situation that an artist can put themselves into. The photographer leads the shoot, so can you imagine what a nightmare it would be if there were two very headstrong photographers trying to call the shots?
With Carri and myself, it works. Our creative vision is identical, but how we approach that vision technically as photographers couldn't be more different. We can be standing shoulder to shoulder and the shot will still be different. Combining our photos, as we have done here in the gallery, helps tell a complete story, the same story, but with a different perspective. Our diverse approach on set serves as an inspiration to each other, through which we have both grown and developed as photographers individually.

‘Midsummer Nights Dreaming’ was a turning point in our creative collaborations. This was a production on a scale that neither of us had undertaken, and a lot was at stake. The project was personally funded, with the team travelling in from all over the UK and abroad to a private location in Cornwall. Nobody stood to make any money from the venture – we were just a group of people willing to pool time, resources and talent, in order to create something magical in the name of art.
Once the photos had been edited and released, we were all wowed at the huge volume of attention the project received. This was confirmation for me that the chemistry between the team was something special.

We returned to Cornwall at the start of 2013 for our next project. This time we were fortunate to be sponsored by the cult make up brand Illamasqua, they also sent one of their key make up artists, the very talented Charlotte Gabriella Savoury, to join us on set.
Having Charlotte on the team for the week enabled us to take the project up to another level of creativity. Charlotte’s exquisite make up teamed perfectly with Jane’s unique headpieces and props, and the specially created costumes.

None of this would work though with out our brilliant models and their incredible talent for portraying different characters - Anybody can stand in front of a camera, but what we do requires considerably more than just a pretty face.
It takes an unprecedented degree of self control to not show any indication of pain or discomfort when you are lying in the freezing North sea wearing nothing but a g-string (Mermaids), or having nothing between you and a howling storm on the moors in the dead of winter (Wuthering Heights) or walking bare foot through a icy cold river on a frosty January morning (Mists of Avalon)
Our models put themselves through these extremes and more, simply in the name of art!

When the last shoot was over, before we all headed off in our separate directions (back to the commitments of our paying jobs!) We took a moment to reflect on the enormity of what we had just accomplished as a team. We wanted to present the work as a collective project, where each member of the team would have their contribution showcased, rather than the images simply being posted on Facebook with a long list of credits and a brief 24-hour lifespan.

So here we are ... Lunaesque is born. I believe that amazing things will continue to come from this creative mix of people. I am not sure what, or where it will take us next, but I can’t wait, it has been a hellva ride so far!

CONTRIBUTORS

Photographers
www.carriangelphotography.com
http://angeharper.com

Models
www.facebook.com/The.Druidess.Of.Midian
www.facebook.com/rosalind.chad
www.facebook.com/jonathan.habens