Project Educate: Variations of Sinister:
When one thinks of the horror and macabre genre, they probably think about blood, guts, and shocking images depicting death and severe harm. But there is another side to the scary, a side that uses less color, less shock value effects, and imagination and subtlety ro produce a chilling image.
Things such as ghosts, forests, graveyards, abandoned houses - all of these can be used as fitting and suitable models for a very spooky scene. Some might argue, with a great amount of merit, that an abandoned house can make a better model than a human being. They have a good point, though it lacks personality, for an abandoned house has its own story to tell, but it is one that can be brought out only in visual images or written word, for unlike a human model, it cannot speak and share.
One of the most popular ways to express a situation using a model is through make up. Make up work can tell many stories - some of them delightfully eerie:
Some people use their surroundings:
Others use architecture:
And still more use the ever popular ghost to produce a scare:
Ghost stories are an incredibly popular subject. More often than not, they can produce a wide range of emotions, from sadness and grief to bone chilling horror. Popular since the dawn of time, since the elements surrounding a ghost story can not really be explained (though we try) they are a favorable choice when attempting to produce disturbing photographs.
As with all artwork, a good scary shot will elict some kind of emotion, whether it be shock, disgust or simply a good old fashioned tremor of fear. To get to the element of horror, though, you don't always need to use blood.
Sometimes, less is best.
These are just some examples of how you can utilize your surroundings to produce something spooky and enchanting. There are every day things just sitting around your that can create a terrible, shocking scenario that could rival the best horror story ever told!
Welcome to Horror/Macabre Photography Week!
A Brief History of Horror
Project Educate: Suggesting Horror/Macabre Daily Deviations!
Project Educate: An Interview with Anathema-Photography!