Impressions From the Last Shoot

The deadline is approaching fast… And so, this past Tuesday, we were doing one last shoot. It was supposed to be held on location by the swan pool, but rain prohibited us from it. Hence it turned into yet another studio shoot. And with my usual digital back unavailable from the rental place, I was shooting with a very dirty Imacon sensor on a Hassy. So, with hours of Photoshop awaiting me, here are a few (pretty much) unedited shots:

Scene: Deception and Remorse

I am en route in finding a way of combining the photographs into tableaus…

Von Rothbart deceives Prince Siegfried

Re-Introducing Von Rothbart

After having originally omitted von Rothbart — the “evil genie” in Swan Lake — from my version, I have reconsidered after lady luck (or, more accurately one of the collaborating dancers) tossed another dancer in my lap. Without further ado, I present to you: Helge Philipp as von Rothbart.

Scene: Bridal Candidates Fighting Over Prince Siegfried

Prince Siegfried doesn’t have it easy… His mother wants him to marry and presents him with a wild bunch of aggressive princesses from the neighboring kingdoms.

Experimenting with Combination Techniques

Using the photographs from the swan pool shoot I was experimenting with finding different ways of combining shots.

Scenes at the Lake

On Monday I was shooting with Wout Geers (Prince Siegfried) and Giovanna de Caro (Odette) on location at what I call the swan pool (in reality a little public pool close to the Swiss/German border in Basel). — Here are a few quick picks and edits. As always, these are in no way final.

Prince Siegfried is hunting swans, when he notices one of them changing into a beautiful girl.

Prince Siegfried swears his undying love for Odette.

Realizing that the spell can never be broken, Odette and Siegfried decide to unite in death.

Blue Portraits: The Sovereign Princess and her son, Prince Siegfried

A few edits from the studio shoot with Heidi Köpfer as the Sovereign Princess and Wout Geers as her son, Prince Siegfried:

Scene: Prince Siegfried Not Ready to Marry

First location shoot is done: The Princess Mother is telling Prince Siegfried to marry which he is unwilling to do.

For some “Making Of” snaps:

Prince Siegfried Portrait, Edited

Here’s an edited version of Wout as Prince Siegfried:

An Odile Sketch

While trying different things, I also tried creating a metamorphosis-composite for Odile: