Murder Maids: Glamorous Ghouls from the Deep
Last week, I dove headfirst into a delightfully twisted photoshoot. Picture this: horror mermaids. Or as I like to call them, "murder maids." Yeah, I know, it sounds like a bunch of aquatic butlers with a vendetta, but roll with it—because these sexy, nightmare-inducing ocean creatures deserve some alliteration love, and hey, it’s my blog. Logic be damned.
Now, let me introduce you to the stars of this aquatic horror show. The terrifying mashup of Pennywise the Clown and Ariel? That's none other than my stunning partner, known on Instagram as @Gingermortician. And the death siren that’ll lure you to your doom? That's my friend Jordan, bringing the kind of eerie beauty that would make Poseidon himself do a double-take.
You’ve probably noticed I’ve been a bit MIA lately. Blame it on the day job—yeah, yeah, I know, boo hiss—but honestly, I love what I do. Still, art is my first love, and I’ve finally carved out some time to edit a few of these photos. And let me tell you, these are just a taste. There’s more to come, including some angelic shots and a dip in the pool. Because what’s a horror shoot without a little water action, right?
Big shoutout to my friend Eric (@egonzo_photos on Instagram) for pulling this whole shebang together. His shots? Pure nightmare fuel. Meanwhile, I couldn’t resist adding a bit of glam to the terror—because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that even monsters need to look good. It’s fascinating to see how two photographers can take the same setup and models and spin completely different vibes through editing alone. Go check out his work, and you’ll see what I mean.
For the gearheads out there: I shot this with my trusty Sony A7R5, rocking a 50mm 1.4 lens, and threw in a pair of Godox TL60 lights cranked to blood-red. I played around at 1/250 shutter speed, ISO 640, and kept my aperture between 1.4 and 1.8. Adobe Lightroom Classic’s DeNoise was my best friend here, letting me pump up the gain without losing that razor-sharp focus on the eyes, while the rest melts into delicious softness.
There’s a mountain of edits still to climb, so stay tuned for more. Until then, I hope you’re all having a killer summer—pun absolutely intended.
