After doing no Tarot cards for months, I got three done this week. All with new models. Kinda weird the way they go in bursts like that.
This one is staring Marybeth, who I did a big shoot with on back on Thursday. A lot more shots of her to come, but I’m actually four shoots of editing behind right now, so it may take me a while to catch up.
It’s been a while since I posted a new tarot card. I just hadn’t been doing them. Partly I needed a break, and partly I just hadn’t been doing shoots in general or those in specific. But I did get one done with Marlo during her shoot.
This is actually one of the earliest ideas I had. When I realized I wanted to use dead and hurt people for the five cards, I decided that I had to do the old tradition of placing coins over the eyes for the coin card. And then when I found out Marlo had a wedding dress, the whole thing just came together.
Somehow, I like the juxtaposition of a wedding and a funeral at the same time. Somehow to me, nothing says worry like a bride who has died in her wedding dress, still holding the bouquet.
I’ve been amazed at how well received the Maverick Tarot project has been. I’ve actually heard from any number of people who want to be a part of it, some as far away as Iowa.
Tiffini wrote me on myspace saying she’d seen a link to my Model Mayhem profile and wanted to be a part of the project. She’d never modeled before, but when has that ever stopped me. And besides, she was excited to give modeling a try. She told me she’d be visiting friends in Pittsburgh soon, and so I figured I’d have to fit her in while she was here. It’s tricky trying to place a model having not met her in person, and when she doesn’t have really good professional shots to give me a feel for her look, but I was able to gauge from other shots that I might want to try her for my five of swords. Defeat. My five cards are all injured or dead people. And it took some playing around but I think I got the look I wanted with this one. And she didn’t even mind me getting "blood" all over her nice white skirt!
This is the second time I have coerced a model’s escort into posing for the tarot deck as well. And once again I am pretty pleased with the result. Kenny looks great with a black eye, I think. I’m starting to really like this high detail, desaturated 300 effect I am using lately. Originally the staff cards were going to be high saturation, but I think the grainy look suits them better. It makes a nice contrast to the sword cards I think.