Mystical Mermaid in Sea + Smoke Bombs Photoshoot

I'm very excited to share this mermaid inspired shoot that I did with my photographer Shawna (Bleudog Fotography) over the weekend. It features three beautiful lace gowns from Ever Pretty which, thankfully, made it out of our beach shoot alive even if I might have gone on a semi-swim in one or two gowns. I selected three lace gowns in different shades of blue: sky blue, royal blue and navy, to mimic the various qualities and colors of ocean water; as well as having a mermaid or trumpet cut bottom which is reminiscent of a mermaid's tail. You can see more and shop the dresses here: Light Blue Fitted Lace Mermaid Gown |  V-Neck Blue/White Lace Long Sleeve Gown | Navy Lace Gown with Thigh High Slit. This isn't the first time I've worked with Ever Pretty dresses before, check out this mermaid gown that I've shot here and here. 

To push the boundaries of mine and Shawna's previous shoot concepts, we played around with colored smoke bombs or grenades to really give the images some depth and a moodiness. We are over the moon with how the images turned out with the smoke play, but let me tell you that it took a few tries and outtakes before I could get used to where to place the smoke canister and how to hold and move the canister if I wanted to add more movement to the smoke. After my experience with it, I would suggest to anyone wanting to shoot with smoke bombs, to have 1-2 extra hands on set to handle the canisters. Granted, we were shooting on beach rocks and nooks in, on and around the beach that make it difficult to move around quickly; but it would still be helpful to have the extra hands. As well, each smoke canister only lasts approximately 45 seconds, so you have to have a plan in mind on how you are going to shoot (where the smoke canister will go, model placement, framing, etc). Ultimately, well you can see for yourself....keep on scrolling! And please let me know what you think! Have you ever tried new photography concepts? Or shot with smoke bombs?

I'll be releasing more images of each look (including the quartz crown I made, which is perfect for the upcoming festival season) throughout the next couple of weeks. If you're looking for smoke bombs/grenades, here are some color options for you from the brand that I used: Green | Purple | Blue | White | Orange | Yellow | Red

TIPS ON USING SMOKE BOMBS/GRENADES

Although the canisters that did work produced gorgeous plumes of colored smoke, I did have one that was a dud. It didn't create a spark to ignite the smoke, and there wasn't any way for us to create a spark, so we had to just throw that one out. The smoke is also very concentrated when it first releases and can dye the the surface of which it is resting on or comes in close contact with. The spark can cause bits of the inside of the smoke canister to disperse (which happened to me and burned my finger, but not too badly), so you may want to hold the canister at the end furthest away from the opening (but that doesn't guarantee that the spark can't still hit your hand). And the smoke can be really intense when coming in contact with the eye, so try to direct the smoke as far away from the eyes and face as possible. 

Shop Ever Pretty dresses for your next small or big occasion and check out their Instagram to see how their dresses are worn and styled. You better bet that I'll be wearing some of these lace gowns to upcoming formal dinners and weddings I'll be attending this year. Check out Shawna's photography on her site here and her Instagram (she's amazing and shoots a majority of my fashion/outfit posts).