I spent this morning in the studio working with photographer friend Suzanne Reed Plant on a “Living Marionette” photo shoot. Suzanne dreamed up the concept of photographically transforming her daughter into a marionette puppet and asked for my help. I absolutely loved the idea when I heard about it and eagerly offered my assistance.

Marionette Behind the Scenes

Prior to the shoot Suzanne put in many hours gathering the props to use and sewing both the costume and the velvet curtain. Her idea was to portray Abigail (her daughter) as a marionette on a stage. She visualized both solo images and the “living marionette” among other puppets.

We used a three light arrangement to create the scene. The main character was lit with a snooted monolight. Two other monolights were placed on either side with colored (blue and yellow) gels.

The 2 hour session was a lot of fun and both Suzanne and I left with some great images. It’s always fun help others achieve something they have pre-visualized and I’m flattered that I was asked to help. I have shown a couple samples of Suzanne’s images below. Her complete set from the shoot can be seen by clicking here.