I have more photographers in my life right now than I’ve ever had before  (and coming from a girl born and bred in Rochester, NY — home of George Eastman and Kodak — this is saying a lot). Primarily, I attribute this to being surrounded by a multitude of camera-obsessed creative types in DTLV. (And to be clear, this is a good thing.)

A few months back, my talented camera-savvy friend Lucky suggested we tackle a photo shoot featuring any theme I chose. It took me a few weeks, but after much contemplation and inspiration by way of shared Buzzfeed links featuring “21 Creeptastic Photos You Wish You Could Un-See”, I had it: Pin Up Plague Doctor!

Pin Up Plague Doctor was perfect on so many levels: no need for pretty hair styling, flawless makeup application, or facial expressions that appeared to be even remotely inviting. I already had a few wardrobe items in my possession that would do the trick, and frankly, any excuse to hunt for additional shiny black fashion accessories is a valid one in my book.

We knew we’d be shooting indoors and weighed our studio options. Something grungy, raw, spooky and plague-y. Oh! A certain freight elevator located in a prominent DTLV building! Perfection!

Some friends lent some skulls to use as props, and I got to work building my first mask ever. One USPS priority shipping box (large), one yard of elasticized crushed velvet, and a roll of black duct tape later — BAM! POW! — an adequate plague-resistant beak had been fabricated with minimal injury.

Lucky was incredibly fun to work with, and he made me feel super comfortable (well, as comfortable as one can be in 7″ platform boots and a steel boned corset) during the entire shoot. His contact info follows these photos, so if you’re looking for a photographer for any type of work, get in touch. His fashion and special event photography projects in particular are always awe inspiring.

Also, these photos are all Lucky Wenzel and Andrea Lipomi. Don’t go stealing them or taking credit for them, mmmkay?

Without further ado, I bring you Pin Up Plague Doctor!

(I’ve also decided my Pin Up Plague Doctor getup doubles as appropriate crime fighting gear, so if you’re ever in need of the ass-kicking Black Plague, you’ll know where to find her.)

Contact Lucky Wenzel:

www.luckyscamera.com

lucky@luckyscamera.com

Local businesses where you can buy items worn during this shoot:

The Black Room (gloves, crop, latex mask) – Tell Tara and Franz that Andrea at Feetish sent you. They are the sweetest German fetish shop folks you’ll ever meet!

Bad Attitude Boutique (corset) – I first discovered them when they were selling their wares at the Vegas Star Trek Convention. I believe this year you can expect them to offer a Borg Queen corset, complete with LED lights!

Black Cat Costumes (hat) – They even have a cute, friendly kitty who helps run the shop. His name is Danzig. 🙂

Bettie Page Footwear (boots) – Located at the Downtown Container Park. Unfortunately, I don’t think they have a website up yet.