Behind the Scenes of a Day of the Dead Photoshoot

Día de Muertos or Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday that has seen a spike in exposure in the United States the past few years making it a perfect subject for a photoshoot. Follow Jay P. from The Slanted Lens as he takes you behind the scenes of his latest shoot featuring a model dressed up as a Calavera (sugar skull) posing in an eerie cemetery backdrop.

The crew had to create a fake cemetery at the last minute when their location cancelled unexpectedly. They used a fog machine to create ambience in the scene and the model's makeup took over three hours to do. It seems that these types of shoots are becoming more and more popular. Have you ever shot a sugar skull themed shoot? If so post your version below in the comments.

Via: The Slanted Lens

Rebecca Britt's picture

Rebecca Britt is a South Texas based commercial, architectural and concert photographer. When she's not working Rebecca enjoys spending time with her two daughters, playing Diablo III, and shooting concerts (Electronic Dance Music). Rebecca also runs the largest collective of EDM (electronic dance music) photographers on social media.

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3 Comments

Well, not exactly day of the dead, but do 2 mad scientists with a brain fixation fit the bill? http://youtu.be/f7F0pQ3k7ac

Awesome BTS tutorial!

Very nice I always enjoy the slanted lens videos.

I love using smoke in shots... but sadly I had to give my smoke machine back to my friend who was good enough to lend me one for a few shoots :)

http://www.lencarta.com/studio-lighting-blog/09/a-zombie-and-her-pet/

Good job on making the set, It's a shame they pulled out on you in the last min.. The last time I shot in a graveyard we could only shoot during the day which limited me on what I could do lighting wise but I still managed to get some nice shots and tweak the post to make it look more like night.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/usuqa/8758639931/

Some smoke would have wen't down wonders.. sadly I had no generator to run the smoker I had.