As of yesterday at approximately 1425PST, the Imperatrix is in the can and ready for processing.
Oh man. War party. I have such a story to tell you.
I've been told in the past that working with me on a shoot feels magical. In the past, i was always flattered, but that wasn't my experience. Shoots in the past have felt exciting or fun or put me in an altered state of awareness or all of those things at once -- this is what happens when you give a Witch a camera -- but that feeling of there being actual Magick in the air?
Never.
Until yesterday.
We were back in Balboa Park, but a completely different section this time. It's a strange little pocket next to the Woodley Park section where the archery range and two cricket fields live. It also has an extremely powerful Don't See Me glamour cast on the turn off for it. I have never been able to find the damn place without passing the turn off at least once and more often, twice. When I do see the turn off, I'm always thinking, "how the hell did I miss that?!"
It's that sort of place.
Our first location was in the ravine of one of the tributaries that feed into the Los Angeles River. It's also very secluded. When I had scouted over there the first time there had only been one tiny homeless encampment and I was very polite and friendly.
There was a much larger one this time. Large enough that I worried they wouldn't like us being there. So I rolled down the window when I saw a man walking his bike out of the area and asked, "is it okay if we take some pictures? I'm just doing this funky art project."
His face was a picture. When my window started going down, I could tell that he was expecting to be hassled, not to have some soccer mom cheerfully greet him *and ask if it was okay for her to be there.*
His entire demeanor changed from suspicion to pleasant surprise and he answered rather off-kilter, "okay." And I beamed at him and thanked him and drove further in.
The spot I was aiming for was equally inhabited, but I got out and smiled at the two men I saw and I watched all of their wariness disappear when Caitlin got out of the truck and Levi started draping 500 miles of taffeta on her, at which point, they looked as bemused as the first guy. It was hilarious. I hope we brightened their day a bit, because then they watched the crazy people climb down into a ravine.
And this is when the Magick with a capital M showed up.
First set? I shit you not, a male mallard duck swam up and climbed up on a rock behind Caitlin and fucking *posed*. POSED.
I don't remember hiring a duck for the shoot...? But apparently I did? I couldn't believe it. He stayed for the entire bit until I got too close to him, but at that point he wasn't in my shots anymore and I released him from the shoot. Next time I go there, I'm bringing duck food to pay him for the gig. He was a *fantastic* model. LOL
Now, that alone would have been plenty fucking magickal for me, but it didn't stop there.
At our third spot, a couple walked up and the woman stopped and asked, "is this for a commercial?"
Now, understand that this question made me feel so good. Because it meant that even to passers by, it looked pretty awesome. People are pretty jaded in this town. You have to be making something pretty good for folks to pause and ask questions. So I stopped, put on my Harmless Soccer Mom smile again and said, "No, actually! It's for a tarot deck I'm shooting called Tarot Apocalyptica. She," I indicated Caitlin, "is the Empress."
And then the lady said the strangest most wonderful thing.
She paused and then said with this tiny tone of wonder, "she *is* the Empress!"
I know it sounds simple, but if you'd been there...
It was like a bell resonating through my soul.
The imagery wasn't just working for me. A complete stranger fell into our bubble of art and saw it too.
But wait! There's more!
The final spot I wanted to shoot I had only seen from the road when I had initially scouted.
War Party. It was an ampitheatre. With giant boulders scattered in front of it for seating/leaning and trees shading the risers. It was the kind that had clearly been designed for music, and orchestral music at that.
A theater. In the middle of nowhere. And I'd just managed to discover it by accident and not realize fully what it was until we were there.
O.o
Welcome to my life.
o.O
That was fucking amazing, folks. I can't wait for you to see what you helped me create.
Witness me!
