Photographing Model Ana Maria Viga at Southern Gothic Photoshoot

Further to my previous blog articles about models Jessica Wilcock, Elle Baldwinson, and Marie-Jean Saxton, this article documents my time with Ana Maria Viga. The shoot was arranged by Amanda (amandacarolinecouture) and Richard of Flow State Photo Events.

Now, I am not typically a "Group Photoshoot" kind of photographer. I like the concept of them but I am not one to fight for position. I far prefer 1-2-1 sessions where I have exclusive time with whichever professional I have hired for my creative outcomes. But, this session that Amanda had organised caught my attention because of the theme of the set - that being a kind of spooky gothic vibe which I have found I am rather good at, and there were these black wings by XLDecorations that I have seen a lot - and it was a small group of no more than 4 photographers. So I gave it a try and I was really glad I did - it was a blast from start to end!

Amanda & Richard were a joy to be around. Super fun, super friendly. The day itself was super relaxed - no clock watching for me that day. And the hired model was Ana, who I had not met before but naturally I had studied her look on Instagram before attending the shoot to try and learn a bit about her. Her Instagram emits a young lady who looked great to be around so I signed up.

There was also a second model, Luna who goes by the name of 'adorn_with_attitude', who was a surprise addition as she was also one of the photographers! Photographing a model, who is also a photographer, is super intimidating! It was the first time for me to go down that route so I don't think I performed at my best but Luna was great fun and was great to work with. I had also not really brought enough film for two models. I had planned for 3 sets, with Ana, so sadly I only shot a few frames of Luna but they came out really nice and Luna seemed to like them which is the key point! And she did allow me to use her DSLR too.

The day was split into 3 main sets - a kind of creepy hollow, a creepy cabin and a bit of an outdoor session with some props (I made a white backdrop from some fabric and some stands), and then an outdoor set near a large public residential area that featured lots of trees, wild grass and a grand but slightly creepy old house.

The two first sets created total gold for me. I was able to use my flash strobes which are part of my signature look and with the various set components and Ana's stroke looks, I created some of my best work of 2024. I was really happy with it.

The 3rd outdoor set was a bit trickier as I couldn't use my lights, and my use of Kodak Tri-X didn't excel in the fairly flat natural light. Nevertheless, I still captured some nice shots of Ana as a Dark Angel, and she was sporting the incredible black wings made by XLDecorations. I had wanted to photograph these wings for months - it was actually another reason why I signed up to the day, as I knew they were there! I've known for ages that those wings, with the right model, and my style of photography would look great.

The events organisers, Amanda and Richard need a special mention. They are honestly some of the necest people I have met in this industry, which I have only been a part of for a short time so far. So friendly and supportive. I will definately be back at one of their events for the right theme and with the right model for my style.

I really enjoyed working with Ana. I very much appreciated her giving me the chance to photograph her in this creative way. She was a lot of fun to be around and super creative. I hope I will see her again one day. She is also an actress and has recently created a new Instagram for those endeavours - so if you need a lovely acrtess, look her up.