Can I just say that I absolutely adore working with Nikki from Dark Knits Boutique? She's just a wonderfully creative weirdo, and both our creative weirds just vibe together wonderfully. I was feeling the itch to get out and do something creative, so Amanda, Sam and I all piled into my little hatchback somehow and photographed a couple very different looks.
Our first set, City in Bloom, was photographed at the Alberta Legislature Grounds right when the cherry trees had started to bloom. What else could you ask for with a pink dress than a very pink back drop!? After we had snapped all the shots we could, we drove off to the Walter Dale Bridge, which is my absolute favourite bridge in the city. The harsh white lines of the arching bridge juxtaposed with the soft, flowing lines of the skirt made for some of my favourite images. We finished the day near the Riverdale area of town, where we had an overlook of the city from the east. I was so fortunate as well to have submitted this set to Femme Rebelle Magazine, where it was published! Eek! Very exciting!
Makeup and headpieces were both done by Amanda herself, and we set her hair the night before in paper straws to create the curls. There are actually two crowns in play here: the gold crown that we had made out of zipties and gold spray paint, and a twisted branch crown that Amanda had made.
Our second set came a few months later, in September, and once again, Amanda, Sam and I all piled into my hatchback and drove across the city, where we walked into the Whitemud Creek Arch, which is located under the Anthony Henday. I had seen someone on my TikTok feed do a drone session there, and I knew from having seen the graffiti that we needed to photograph Dark Knit's Celestial Gown there.
Thankfully, Amanda has some cosplay wigs in her arsenal, so she didn't have to dye her hair for this session. The day was a little rainy with some sunshine peeking out here and there, which worked perfectly for us. In order to get the shots he wanted, Sam ended up jumping over the railing and onto the support beams, with at least a ten to fifteen foot drop to the creek below. I honestly thought he was going to die with how slick everything was from the rain! Good news, Sam's not dead, and he got some amazing shots from his vantage point. I am both not tall enough to get over the rail, and too scared of heights to even contemplate following his lead.
Again, Amanda did her own makeup and wig styling. So thankful to be able to work with such great people this year! Honestly, I think that the black and white image at the very end here is one of my personal favourites from this session. The way that Amanda's twisted herself makes her almost look alien.
And a HUGE thank you to Nikki from Dark Knits Boutique! You can check out her work here! She's an Edmonton local, so be sure to go and give her a follow.