Princess Emily

May the Force be with You

I remember first seeing Star Wars: IV – A New Hope at a drive-in theater way back in 1980. Of course I’m only guessing because I was 1 year old when it first released in 1977. We lived in a small country town and so it was not surprising for a popular film to be shown several years after their initial release. But then again, The Empire Strikes Back was released in 1980 and the owner may have wanted to cash in on the hype.

However, it was Return of the Jedi which brought us one the most recognizable and heavily worn costumes at comic cons and cosplay: Princess Leia’s slave outfit. My age was still in the single digits at the time and thought girls were gross and never fully appreciated the outfit until I got older.

The Shoot

For this shoot, Emily found a similar a costume online and she decided on shooting at Palo Duro Canyon located near Amarillo, TX. While it may not be the planet Tatooine, the sand and gravel at the river did lend to an otherworldly location rife with unknown alien life lurking in the brush. And given how hot and bright it was that day, it certainly felt as if we were on a planet with two suns.

I used my Canon 5D Mark IV along with an 85mm set at 2.2/F. For the edits, I kept the tones nice and warm with crisp blacks adding just a touch of orange hue. I also brightened and sharpened Emily’s blue eyes. Of course, Princess Leia did not have any tattoos, so I kept Emily’s tattoos saturated with a little bit of vibrance. While adding orange, I took care not to affect the colors with in her sleeve and washing out those colors.