After the Fall
Geek Girl
Zelda returns to our one of our favorite genres with another awesome post-apocalyptic shoot for us to enjoy. We love the costume and the gritty location (and of course the girl) :D She has a lot to say about this shoot so read on!
"I've always, always loved post apocalyptic stuff. I have a huge collection of low budget and obscure movies, comics, cartoons, even music. I was first inspired to do post-apocalyptic costuming when I attended an event run by the Dystopian Studios (a really bizarre group of folks that host themed loft parties and events in a post-apocalyptic bunker styled house that is built inside an old Brewery). I had worked a couple of their events before, but then went to the best one - a post apocalyptic camping trip in the desert! We went out to the middle of nowhere for 3 days so we could shoot guns, make giant explosions, and dance in full costume. My first post-apocalyptic outfit was sort of boring, so I've been spending this past year doing a bunch of new stuff in the genre.
I've always liked Steampunk as well, but like so many things, it has been done so often and so perfectly, that it's almost impossible to stand out in the genre. It's just real oversaturated. There aren't a lot of people who really focus on post-apocalyptic stuff, and I love the grittiness and overall tone of the style. I love urban decay, and a lot of my modeling has been in combination with urban exploration. There aren't a ton of places around Los Angeles that are like this, as property is worth so much, that abandoned property rarely stays standing long.
This particular location is out in Ventura County - it's an old abandoned oil refinery. I had shot here once before when I first started modeling, but hadn't been back in years. It's really just an insanely cool location. We passed a couple other groups "visiting without permission" while we were there - a group of paintballers and a group of environmentalists making a documentary on urban decay and waste. The graffiti at this place, some of it, was INCREDIBLE. One of the oil silos had an entire Star Wars mural painted on it. The whole place is fabulous, and eery. I went inside an oil drum, lighting my way using nothing but the light on the end of my shotgun. I legitimately felt like I was going to be attacked by zombies at any moment. Climbing up the silos was intense, too. They were HUGE. I also got to explore the old brick fire burners. I put together my costume myself, trying for a more "Resident Evil" look, as normally what I do is more Mad Max or Tank Girl-esque. The photographer was Jeff Edmonds, who is my favorite photographer in the world, and we have worked together probably 20 times at this point. Aside from being one of the nicest people in the world and also a great photographer, he's also an ex Navy Seal who photographs tactical equipment, so he's got a massive collection of guns and gear and wonderful toys that he has been kind enough to let me play with."
Geek Girl:
Zelda -
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Photographer:
J S Edmonds
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August 04 2012