Residents of Lethbridge and surrounding area are all-too-familiar with the commute from Lethbridge to Calgary on Hwy 2, often inventing creative ways to shorten the drive by cutting through Granum, or bypassing Calgary altogether by travelling through Vulcan, Alberta. It was on one of these routine journeys that I noticed the a quaint cemetery servicing a small town conveniently beside the highway.

This example in particular has a beautiful mix of early-century grave sites, and new shiny, undated tombstones waiting for their owners. I had mixed feelings about shooting there, wanting to keep our presence low-impact and respectful to any mourners that might be present. After reviewing the work of other photographers who’ve incorporated cemeteries in their portfolio, as well as having been a guest on the Galt Museum graveyard tour – I deemed it morally ok and put the issue to rest.

We arrived on a day greeted by high winds (typical of Southern Alberta) and worked with both Ashley (who played our dark character) and Marie Helen (our virtuous vision in white). We attempted to tell the tale of a young woman greeted by a dark visitor – and the two worked our shot list despite the howling winds. It was somewhat humorous to see Brien Gehring (assisting) fighting with a 22″ gridded beauty dish in high winds, I wonder how his back is doing today?

Makeup provided by the wonderful Bonnie Ferguson, without whom our shoots would be certainly lacking.

Some frames from the shoot:

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