Queen Mab started as a personal project, a way for me to practice and grow my compositing skills. It had been a while since I created a fantasy composite, and I missed building an image step by step. This wasn’t for a client or a competition. It was just an afternoon spent exploring, letting my imagination take the lead.
The model is XLCR Moon, a close friend and someone I’ve worked with often. Over the years, we’ve teamed up on projects ranging from gothic couture editorials to fine-art portraits for magazines like Gothic Beautyand Auxiliary. Moon has a natural gift for expressing emotion. She can show elegance, melancholy, power, or mysticism with just a look, which makes her a dream to photograph.
When we made the base portrait, it was simple: just Moon, softly lit and looking straight into the lens. Her gaze had an ancient, knowing quality. Later, when I looked at the image again, I saw the chance to create something bigger and more mythic. That’s when Queen Mab started to take shape.
The name Queen Mab comes from folklore and Shakespeare. She is the fairy queen who brings dreams, weaving fantasy and chaos into the minds of sleepers. I’ve always loved that story because Mab is full of contradictions: she’s graceful but unpredictable, gentle yet formidable.
That duality inspired my final vision. I wanted Moon to look both regal and ethereal, like a queen born from smoke and starlight. I pictured her surrounded by deep jewel tones, velvet and misty textures, and light that shimmered as if it belonged to another world.
Unlike my usual in-camera work, this image was created almost completely in post-production. Everything except Moon’s face and body, the gown, the background, and the atmosphere came from carefully chosen stock elements. I selected each piece for its tone, shape, and how it would fit with her pose and the lighting.
Using stock elements doesn’t make the process easier. In many ways, it’s actually more complex. It turns into digital sculpting: layering, masking, and painting until everything fits together. The real challenge is making it seamless and believable, so the viewer never questions what is real and what is imagined.
I shot the original portrait on my Canon EOS R5 with a Sigma 105mm f/1.4 Art lens, using a Westcott lighting setup in a classic clamshell arrangement. I aimed for smooth, balanced light across her face, with soft highlights, gentle shadows, and no harsh edges. My camera settings were about f/8, 1/125 sec, ISO 100, which is my usual range for detailed studio work.
That clean foundation made it easy to composite the image later. When you build digital worlds, light direction is crucial. Clamshell lighting provides a consistent base that can be adjusted in post-production.
In Photoshop, I layered multiple stock textures: pieces of fabric, ornate architecture, atmospheric haze, and even particles of dust and smoke. Each layer was adjusted for hue, saturation, and luminance to match the original lighting on Moon. Then came the color grading in deep emerald, garnet, and sapphire tones, balanced with subtle golden light to create an enchanted glow.
My goal was to keep her as the clear focus, with the world around her reflecting her energy: strong, mysterious, and luminous.
Moon and I have worked together for a long time, so projects like this come naturally to us. We trust each other completely. She doesn’t need much direction; she understands the mood and story right away. When I told her I wanted this portrait to feel like a dark fairy tale, she changed instantly. Her posture softened, her eyes deepened, and within seconds, she became Queen Mab.
That’s one of the best things about working with an experienced model who understands your style. I can create whole worlds in post-production, but it all begins with that first spark: the connection between photographer and subject. Moon gives me the emotion I need, and everything else builds from her presence.
When I finished Queen Mab, I wasn’t sure if I would share it with others. It felt very personal, like a quiet return to the kind of image-making that first made me love photography. But when I finally submitted it for MIR, the response was incredible. Judges and peers called it ‘hauntingly beautiful,’ which is exactly what I hoped for.
I think what stands out is its simplicity. Queen Mab has a quiet confidence; it doesn’t shout, it whispers. The colors, the composition, and Moon’s stillness invite viewers to pause and imagine the story behind her eyes.
For me, this image represents rediscovery. It reminded me that conceptual art doesn’t have to be complicated to be powerful. Sometimes it’s about refining, stripping away, and trusting your instincts again.
Queen Mab originated from a place of creative play, an experiment that evolved into something meaningful. It rekindled my love for compositing and storytelling, reminding me that imagination has no limits when technical skill is combined with emotional connection.
Every layer in this image, from the stock textures to the painted light, was chosen to support one thing: emotion. That’s what drives all of my work. Whether it’s a luxury boudoir session or a conceptual fantasy piece, I want the viewer to feel something.
At its core, Queen Mab is more than a fairy queen. She reflects artistic curiosity, the joy of experimenting, and the process of rediscovering beauty through creation. I think all photographers can relate to that.
Technical Details
- Camera: Canon EOS R5
- Lens: Sigma 105mm f/1.4 Art
- Lighting: Westcott softboxes in clamshell setup
- Settings: f/8, 1/125 sec, ISO 100
- Post: Composite using stock elements for gown and background; hand-painted lighting and color grading for harmony and depth