I really got the chance to know Lauryn well when we happened to discover we both had a thing for traditional archery. The Hunger Games was (and still is) all the rage, so I was very excited when Lauryn’s mom came to me asking if we could get some pictures of Lauryn with her bow and arrows… perhaps playing the role of Katniss?
I was hooked.
The first Hunger Games movie had just been released, so there was a wealth of information online that helped us pull together costume and wardrobe ideas. I met Lauryn and her mom to go over various jacket, pants and accessories options. Together we pulled together an outfit that is pretty darn close to the movie. After finalizing the wardrobe, we checked out a nearby creekbed near their home, full of trees and vines. It was the high of summer in Central Texas, so against all hope, there wasn’t a drop of water to be seen in the creek.
Two days before the scheduled shoot, massive storm system moved in over Austin and dumped a ton of rain; it was great for the trees and the rivers and creeks, but not so great for photography equipment. Rain was scheduled for the entire weekend. On the Sunday of the shoot, we took a gamble and were rewarded with a four hour dry spell when the clouds held on to the rain! The shoot was on!
We had devised a couple of story boards to help structure the shoot. First, worked a scenario where Katniss was exploring the creek….
Katniss runs away from the death and fighting after the Hunger Games began… (special points if you can find Rue)
We also worked a scenario where Katniss was resting at the foot of a tree at night…
We also decided we needed a couple of movie poster shots with Katniss looking heroic. The other girl you see in the tree is Lauryn’s younger sister, who is playing the part of Rue. FYI: It is apparently very hard to look heroic when you can’t stop cracking up.
Without a doubt, the shoot was a success. With happy smiles from Katniss and Rue, we packed up my gear and headed back to their home where Lauryn treated us to expertly made coffee and just the right amount of cream. I am very thankful to announce that no one managed to stumble into any poison ivy while on set.
When I delivered the images to Lauryn and her mom, they were absolutely thrilled. They had no idea that the creek near their home could look like a movie set. In the end, there was no other option than to get a nice canvas gallery wrap of one of the movie poster images to grace the walls of their home. For the rest of the images, I made them an album that they could share with their friends or leave on the coffee table at home.
Thanks to Lauryn and her mom for such a great shoot. Collaborative and creative shoots like these are an absolute blast. I am blessed to be able to be part of them.