Inspired by Light from an Aquarium

Model & styling: Minna Kosonen
Hair & Makeup: Carmen Rosar

I was inspired to create this shoot based on the mysterious cold light coming from aquariums. There was something magical in this blue glow, which I wanted to explore through portraits. 

I found the perfect aquarium at a close by flee market. For a while this aquarium waited in a ugly box next to my work desk, until I got to realise this shoot with Minna. The first step was to remove the original light from the aquarium, because it wasn't bright enough for our use. Luckily I managed to fit a gelled speedlight in exchange of the fluorescent tube.

I was happy to find out how many distortions, strange glows and beautiful reflections I could create around the aquarium using the strong light from above. 

The space itself was constructed inside a studio using plywood. I wanted to keep the scene quite bleak to fit the overall mood. The corner was built exactly in the same way as in my earlier project: Black Gold. 

Minna happend to own the perfect dress, which acted as the base for our styling. The slightly transparent blue fabric brought some mermaid vibes to the set, which went well together with the water elements.