VampireX

I am developing a photographic project around a storyline, about female vampires, using real Romanian myths and legends. The vampires are not traditional gothic vampires with fangs who turn into bats etc. In my story they are young women who have been transformed and become Earth's Garden, Eden, the balance of all mystery, based on the principle that all life is created through women.

In short, the story promotes the power of women, being the vehicles through which life is created, making them far more powerful than men. A status that has been oppressed through modern religions, whereas all life is created though a masculine God and all the people associated with God, in the main, are men. In pagan cultures, women were revered by men for their sexuality and their ability to nurture life and many of the gods were women. Female gods had great powers and were feared by men. The sexuality and nurturing power of women in modern religions is regarded as demonic and evil, hence witches etc. Although in Christianity, The Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, is a symbol of motherhood and nurturing, she is a sanitised version of womanhood. She is a virgin mother with little influence over the nurturing of her son. In most media, still, women who are overtly sexual are depicted negatively. In film, particularly the horror genre, female antagonists are overtly sexual and female protagonists not. Usually, a female character who is sexually permissive ends up being mutilated.

The characters I have used from Romanian myth in my story, are called Iele. The English translation means 'them', or 'they'. They are basically mischievous fairies who dance around naked in the forests and devour the energy of young men amongst many other things. The story is written from their perspective.

So I am now creating a visualization of these characters, potraying them as creatures of beauty and colour with a mix of the macabre and fantasy, breaking with the traditional perception of this type of theme being dark and at times quite ugly.

I am looking for models on a TFP basis . Will help with travel expenses.

Check out my profile on here. Most of the work, such as backgrounds, make up, body paint, tattoos, jewellery and hair is done on the computer.

Studio in Ilford, East London. Shoot most weekday mornings.

Thanks,

Shaun