Lilith Astaroth. What can I say? She's as complex as she is talented. She models cosplay, steampunk, latex, fetish, you name it. She's amazing at all of them. She acts, she dances, she writes, she plays video games, and oh ya, did I mention she also fronts and sings for the death metal band Sorrowseed? This girl is busy and when not modeling, traveling, or touring with the band, she's always somewhere interesting just being very cool.
On the surface, Lilith is one of the nicest, kindest people you'll ever meet. You just want to hang with her. She's calm and professional. However, when she's in front of an audience or that camera is turned onto her, it's another story. She can emit these otherworldly growls from hell and transform herself into a larger-than-life she-devil that'll send chills up your spine. Perfect for my next Crypt Studios promo shot "Cycle Slayer!":
This image turned out almost exactly as I had originally envisioned it. I wanted a photo that would scare the hell out of Death himself. Lilith would be pure evil piloting some fire cycle through the streets of hell, slaying all in her path. Death is riding with her and most likely soiling his robe at what he's experiencing. It takes someone of Lilith's caliber to to actually terrify the Grim Reaper.
There were two main setups for this image; the background and the bike scene. Lilith and the reaper were shot together on the bike at the same time against a bluescreen. This motorcycle was a multi award winning, one of a kind, hand-forged, low ridin' mean machine and was without a doubt the perfect cycle. From there, I basically boom-arm and fish lined old skully into position, then had Lilith go to work. The scythe was shot separately to get just the right angle later on in post.
The background was the result of taking a ride in my Toyota Matrix with my wife at the wheel and me hanging out of the back. We drove around my neighborhood at night and I did a series of long exposures to get the blur of the road and background. I had my wife ride the breaks so the red tail lights would illuminate the surroundings and give nice long red streaks. A passing front yard lantern added a ribbon of yellow electricity that made my jaw drop after seeing the photo later on.
The shots merged perfectly and I was really excited to see the two shoots together. I'd like to thank Dave, Chris, my wife, and of course Lilith for making this hell-on-wheels image come to life.
Here's a link to some side shots and behind-the-scenes images from the various Crypt shoots: Crypt Studios Promo Shots
Crypt Studios: www.cryptstudios.com
Lilith Astaroth: www.lilithastaroth.com
Lilith on Facebook: Lilith Astaroth
Please visit my website: www.gperryimages.com
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All Images Copyright © The Photography of Glenn Perry