Halloween Styled Shoot in Janesville, Wisconsin

When I started planning this Halloween styled shoot, I knew I wanted it to be spooky and moody but also fun and creative. I searched Pinterest for ideas and got inspiration from other photographers on Instagram as well. Once I knew what I wanted the shoot to look like, it was time to start planning.

When it came to the makeup, I knew I wanted to go with a skull look. I also knew there was no way I could do makeup to look like a skull. So I reached out to a friend of mine, Emily. She does skincare at her spa Rejuvenate Skincare Studio, but she also does wedding makeup. We bounced ideas off each other and ended up with this awesome half skull, half human makeup idea!

Next came finding my models. I asked my friend Kristin if she and her hubby would be down to model for me, and she said absolutely! But as the date of the shoot got closer, her husband got called into work. So I asked another friend of mine, Tati. She obviously said yes. I told both ladies they just needed to wear something black (a dress, jumpsuit, pants and a blouse). After that, they could get creative with their hair and accessories.

Last up was finding a location for the shoot. I wanted something in the woods, with lots of shadows and bare trees for the backdrop. I ended up choosing a local park just a few minutes from where I live. Gibbs Lake was the perfect location! It had the moody shadows, bare trees I was looking for, and since we chose a time around sunset, there was an extra level of moodiness as the sun set behind the trees.

I also ordered a few different colored smoke grenades from Enola Gaye to play around with. 

The day of the shoot came, and the weather was perfect! Emily did an absolutely amazing job with the skull makeup. And Kristin and Tati did such a great job posing and going with the flow, which was definitely needed with the smoke grenadines! 

Interested in booking a session with me? Head over to my contact page and fill out the form at the bottom!