Two shoots in one evening! Our friend Ilyana Eberhardt, who you may remember from our Sucker Punched 3 set, was in town and had the evening free! The storm was just letting up and we jumped at the chance to do a shoot. With one eye on the weather, we had Ily dress up to the nines and handed her one of our swords, making her the latest in our Wonder Women series! A quick trip to Cabell's Mill in Chantilly (and occasionally dodging raindrops!) got us some amazing images. Ilyana's beauty and martial arts experience gave us some fantastic images with very little effort on my part. The woman has some extraordinary presence, and we love working with her.
Ilyana's sword for her Wonder Women shoot is a stainless steel "Ninjato" sword, japanese design that is a straight blade variation on the traditional katana. One of the oldest non-antique swords in our collection, I got this one when I was 15 at a flea market in Jessup, MD. It's not the nicest sword we own, but it's got a great look and really worked with Ilyana's outfit and poses.
After a quick gown-and-sword set up, we headed back to the office for a quick change into the first of what will hopefully be many shoots honoring one of my favorite movies of all time, The Crow (the original, not-so-much the sequels). Among Ilyana's many talents is an extraordinary gift for makeup, and she nailed this one. Two shoots in one evening and spectacular shots from both, what more could a photographer ask for?
Expect to see Ilyana again here soon, and expect a lot more from our Wonder Women series!