A Pagan Holiday Styled Shoot: Mabon
There is a deep call within us, as a collective, to begin to reintegrate ceremony into our everyday lives.
Modernity does not invite us to adjust our schedules, routines, or ways of being in relation to the natural world- and we can feel the negative effects inside of our soul.
Honoring the seasons is an integral piece of the history of humanity, so when my dear friend Kenzie asked me to embark on a creative collaboration to commemorate the eight wiccan sabbats I was thrilled to explore these rich visual worlds with her.
Mabon celebrates the autumnal equinox. In the northern Hemisphere, it is celebrated on September 23, and traditionally celebrates the mid-harvest season. Many cultures see this time of abundance as a time to give thanks. Americans today celebrate thanksgiving in November (though it was originally celebrated in October) but traditions such as apple picking, pumpkin painting and carving, and fall decorations abound during this time. This was a time that our ancestors hosted feasts and celebrations, and sabbats were a time to mark the wheel of the year with family and friends.
For this session, we used my personal home as a set.
Together, Kenzie and I sourced and decorated my wooden side porch with dried flowers, pumpkins, gourds, and corn. Kenzie carries fresh herbs, and we brought it all together by placing a fog machine just outside the doorframe.
I chose to really lean into the obscurity created by the fog.
I love to create images that are more about evoking a feeling than creating something perfect.
-In Camera Manipulation-
I used a prism (refracted glass) to create this splintering effect of the subject.
I love how it evokes a sense of communication with the spirit world, a visual representation of an interior experience.
