Next up on the reveal list is the lovely Cassandra Clare as Autumn!
From the start of this project I wanted to do an autumn photo with a redhead. I only had a few slots left, with no redheads on board, and was running out of hope, when Holly Black said, “I’m sitting on Cassandra Clare’s couch and she thinks this sounds like a lot of fun.” I actually wanted Cassie for this project, but I hadn’t bothered asking her because I figured she was too busy to do it. Just goes to show what happens when you assume!
What I saw for this photo was the spirit of Autumn kissing the trees with magic fire and starting the season change on its way. The initial idea I had was to get the stunt gel that’s used for burning things in movies and light Cassie’s arms on fire. Apparently I need a whole crew of people and safety stuff to do this, so I had to come up with another plan of attack (noticing a theme here? I have big ideas, people!).
Enter Emay, my fire poi teacher. She has a lot of fire props, and after discussing the situation with her she suggested her metal lotus hand Natox props. They make a big flame and essentially gave the same look, which is great. As for the outfit, Cassie’s costume is made of some of the nicest fabric I used for any of the costumes, including a high-end wool and a pulled silk. I have three different fabrics in the same orange tones, and the subtle differences are just like I wanted.
The initial idea for the look of the photo was to shoot it in the height of autumn, which would have been great, as Cassie lives in New England. But Cassie is in Europe for all of fall, and though we considered me flying over there to shoot it, timing wouldn’t allow. So we worked with what we had, which was literally two days between Cassie getting back from the City of Bones movie premiere and heading overseas. She squeezed me in, and we made it work! I actually think the look of the photo really captures what I wanted, almost better than if everything had been orange or red or yellow. I’m really happy with the result, and so glad Cassie was a part of this project. She even forgave me for burning her a little bit with the metal (those hand flowers get really really hot!), because she’s just that awesome.
Let Cassie feel the love! And be sure to check out any previously released images if you missed them! Plus, be sure to pre-order the calendar!
