Theme 7: The Devil in Red - 31 Days of Halloween Series

This theme was heavily inspired by vintage fashion and aesthetics, something you’ll notice woven throughout many of my other Halloween concepts and creative sessions over the years. Vintage makeup, hair, clothing, and trinkets have always influenced my work, and honestly, my life. Even the way I decorate my home is inspired by different eras. That love I have naturally finds its way into my photography.

Originally, the vision for this shoot looked a little different. I had imagined red body paint, long dark hair, and subtle devil horn clips. But if you’ve followed my work, you may recognize that we’ve already experimented with body paint in previous themes. (The Zombie and Cupid session.) I wanted this concept to evolve into something different.

That’s when I came across thee piece...

I found a vintage leather devil-horned bonnet on Etsy from the seller Mess Around, and the moment I saw it, I knew I had to get it no matter how much money it was. It just stood out. Once it was on the model, it completely transformed the vision I originally had. More bold, powerful, and demanded attention. From that point on, the makeup had to meet that same intensity.

We tossed around a lot of ideas, but on the day of the shoot, makeup artist Jess Bonnema, AKA Jessi B Artistry (based in Minneapolis, Minnesota) suggested a drag inspired makeup look. Bold eyes. Strong brows. Dramatic contrast. I already knew I wanted black eyebrows, heavy black eyeliner, and black lips, and Jess absolutely blew me away. The final makeup paired with the bonnet felt unstoppable. Together, they fully embodied the devilish energy I was chasing.

This is one of those moments where trusting the process, and your gut, matters. Letting a vision evolve in real time is what being a creative is all about. That’s how your work becomes uniquely yours.

One of my favorite behind-the-scenes moments from this session actually came from a small hiccup. The devil staff was supposed to arrive fully black with a red top, but thanks to Amazon, only the head showed up!? When I don’t know what to do, I call my dad. LOL! He suggested grabbing plastic piping from a hardware store and super gluing it together which he helped with. And honestly? It worked perfectly!

The staff ended up tall, this exaggerated, dramatic, almost silly in the best way possible. And with how tall the model is, that extra length felt right. Over the top yet playful. It complemented out devil character beautifully.

We experimented with both red and white backdrops, but the red background completely stole my heart. It tied everything together and amplified the intensity of the look.