A new style of photography session, the goddess themed photoshoot has started to grow in popularity, giving women a chance to feel confident and add a touch of magic to their online images. So, what exactly is a Goddess themed photoshoot, and why is it becoming so popular online?
A goddess themed photoshoot is intended to harness the idea of the goddess’ spiritual energy within us all, making for a photography session that leaves the subject feeling strong and confident. A Goddess themed photoshoot therefore is a creative portrait session meant to draw out your inner Goddess; your wildness, strength, sensuality, or whatever it is that makes you feel powerful and confident like a Goddess. The first step for a goddess session is to do some research and find a goddess that you feel a strong enough bond with to channel during the photoshoot.
Familiarise Yourself With Goddesses
Top Goddesses For a Goddess Themed Photoshoot
Kali
Often appearing as a dark or angry goddess with blue skin, a garland of skulls and a knife, Kali’s tongue is red with the blood of those she devours. In all of her origin stories, she emerges through anger to destroy evil forces.
She is most known for an old tale where she fights an ancient demon, Raktabija. Each drop of his blood gives birth to a clone when it touches the ground.
During the battle, Kali cuts Raktabija and drinks his blood, even eating his clones as they appear. The aggressive effect of his blood turns the goddess into a destroyer. Yet despite her terrifying reputation, Kali is the ultimate protector against evil with some even believing that she will continue to exist after the end of the universe.
To channel this goddess in a goddess-themed photoshoot, you would come to feel like a strong woman who can protect herself and all those who need her.
Sekhmet
If you want ever more power, then they don’t get more powerful than the Egyptian deity, Sekhmet, whose name even translates to the ‘Powerful One.’ Strangely, for such a destructive figure, her priests were skilled doctors and healers worshipped her as their patroness. The lioness-headed goddess could still be fearsome regardless of this however.
In one legend, Sekhmet was sent by the god Ra to punish humanity for its laziness. Her rampage decimated mankind until Ra decided things had gone far enough.
However, she wouldn’t listen, so consumed by blood lust, that she couldn’t think straight. To fix the situation Ra mixed beer with pomegranate juice and then poured the ‘blood’ in front of her.
Sekhmet proceeded to get so drunk she promptly fell asleep, her blood lust disappearing when she woke up 3 days later. So, if you feel like a vengeful goddess who enjoys her liquor then Sekhmet might be the choice for you.
Izanami-no-Mikoto
The Japanese goddess of both death and creation bore many children with her husband, Izanagi-no-Mikoto, but died in childbirth and descended into the underworld. Her husband entered the shadowy lands of the dead but he couldn’t persuade her to return with him, as Izanami ate the food of the underworld, so she couldn’t return to the world of the living.
This tale of lost love rings to a similar tune as another goddess, Persephone, a legend of Greek mythology. Both these goddess are figures of beauty and nature that have been separated from the person they love due to unlucky circumstances.
As such, if you’re aiming to find some clarity on lost love, or wish to channel the beauty of these well loved ancient goddesses then these might be the ones for you. However, you don’t need to travel to the underworld to get these photos!
While photographer, camera equipment, costuming and theming are all essential parts of a goddess themed photoshoot, nothing is more important than picking the right location.
“Try and look for a location which has some sort of shelter nearby, such as a bridge, bandstand, or café.”
Picking The Right Location For Your Goddess Images
One of the most important aspects of portrait photography is picking a suitable location. Your choice will drive all other decisions about the shoot, including what lighting and props to take, which dress the goddess should wear, and the most suitable poses for them to try out.
Shooting in a studio with a plain background is a popular choice due to its versatility, but hiring a studio can be expensive, and these types of shoots have been done a million times. You can usually get much more interesting, engaging pictures by using your imagination and choosing a more unusual portrait location for your goddess themed photoshoot.
Choose a Meaningful Place
It’s easy to choose a portrait location based on convenience, for example, if you live near a leafy park, it’s tempting to use that as your default shooting location. But while this may look attractive, it’s not always the best option.
Remember that every subject is a unique individual, with their own personality and this should be highlighted in their goddess themed photoshoot.
What makes them so interesting a as a person is something you should try to capture in every portrait you take. As such choosing a suitable location is an important part of this, so try and take the time to get to know your subject.
Find out about their hobbies and favourite places and incorporate them into your photography. If they’re an avid horse rider, shoot them at their stables; if they love to surf, go to their local beach. By using a location that means something to your subject, you’ll get much more personal, meaningful photos. As an added bonus, they’re likely to feel more relaxed, helping you have a more comfortable and rewarding goddess themed photoshoot.
“By using a location that means something to your subject, you’ll get much more personal, meaningful photos.”
Use Natural Lighting
Most professional portrait photographers swear by natural lighting, and some refuse to shoot in anything else. Therefore, if possible, choose a brightly lit location which offers plenty of diffused, natural light to get the best out of your goddess themed photoshoot.
When shooting outdoors it’s important to avoid the direct midday sun as this produces very harsh shadows. Look for some light shade such as an overhanging tree or covered seating area, where the sunlight is softer and more flattering. Alternatively, shoot in the morning or early evening when the sun isn’t as strong.
If you’re shooting indoors, try to position your subject near a large window so that you can make the most of any available natural light. Depending on your budget and the equipment you have available you can compliment this with some artificial lighting if necessary.
Set Up Near Shelter
If you choose an outdoor portrait location, there’s always a chance that the weather will spoil the goddess themed photoshoot.
Sometimes you’ll just have to take a chance and hope it stays dry, but try to have a backup in case the weather turns bad so the goddess costume and decorations don’t get ruined.
As such, try and look for a location which has some sort of shelter nearby, such as a bridge, bandstand, or café.
These can be life-savers during a quick shower, helping you keep yourself, your equipment, and your subject dry, which is particularly important if they’re paying and still want to feel like a pampered goddess!
Choose Somewhere Quiet
Crowded places, like cities or busy public parks, are among the worst locations for a portrait shoot, and are even worse for a heavily costumed shoot, such as what a goddess themed photoshoot. You’ll be constantly waiting for people to move out of frame and dealing with questions from passers-by, plus your subject will probably feel very self-conscious and struggle to relax.
Luckily, finding a quiet, secluded location is not as difficult as it might seem. If you must shoot in a city, try to get off the beaten track! By moving just a few hundred yards away you can usually find a spot where you and your subject can set up undisturbed.
Better still, avoid cities altogether and head for remote beaches, grassy fields, and woodland. These all provide great backdrops to a portrait photo, and are often completely deserted, giving you free-reign to move around and experiment with different poses and angles.
“Watermarking with a custom watermark can help potential clients identify your work.”
Watermark Your Goddess Photoshoot
Once you have completed your goddess themed photoshoot, you’ll probably be pretty keen to get your photos out there into the world and up onto social media.
However, before you publish them online, it might be best to think about branding and copyright.
As a person who publishes any form of work online, you should know the importance of watermarking your work.
In terms of security, watermarking can’t be beat, allowing you to safeguard your work from any potential content thieves and protect your copyright on all work you publish online.
Watermarking is also highly regarded as one of the best ways to establish an easily identifiable brand online.
Much like how a painter adds their signature to a painting, watermarking with a custom watermark can help potential clients identify your work, helping your photography stand out in the sea of content on the internet.
The only downside to the process is that watermarking can be difficult without professional photo editing knowledge. Luckily, WaterMarquee is here to help! Users looking for the best free watermark service however, should look no further than WaterMarquee, as our website allows anyone to watermark any pieces from their goddess themed photoshoot, entirely for free. So what are you waiting for? Try out WaterMarquee today!
