Lucy and Lydia Connell star as the daughters of Mother Nature in the latest photo series by fine arts photographer Linda Blacker.
The series is the latest in a run of YouTuber fairytale collaborations by Linda, who has previously worked with Dodie Clark and Hazel Hayes for a Snow White-themed shoot, and Louise Pentland for a Snow Queen-inspired series.
For the new shoot, Linda and twin sisters Lucy and Lydia Connell teamed up to tell the story of Spring and Summer, the daughters of Mother Nature.
“I’m always inspired by the oddest of things,” explains Linda, speaking with TenEighty. “In this particular instance, I wanted to create characters to embody the seasons spring and summer. Mother Nature is such an amazing character and I just had this idea of the four seasons being her children. For these two sunny and fresh seasons, I needed to cast YouTubers who had fun, positive and kind personalities – Lucy and Lydia were the perfect fit!”
The shoot, which took place earlier this month at Helmingham Hall Gardens, was the first time Lucy and Lydia have worked with Linda. Asked about the experience, they say: “It was such an amazing experience shooting with Linda for this shoot! We’ve loved Linda’s photography for years now, so it was so exciting to be part of her YouTube fairytale series. It was also a dream come true dressing up as princesses for the day!”
“I don’t think I have ever met two people that are more like princesses in all my life and this made it a lot easier to turn them into the characters I had created,” adds Linda. “They were such a pleasure to work with, very easy to direct and just brought a wonderfully positive atmosphere to shoot, thus resulting in a fantastic day!”
The photos in the series were released in five parts, with the first being published on 13 March and the final on 27 March. In order to bring the daughters of Mother Nature to life, Linda enlisted the help of makeup artist Ashleigh Bunce, with whom she has worked with in the past.
“We absolutely loved the transformation and dressing up for the day as the daughters of Mother Nature!” explain Lucy and Lydia. “Ashleigh did an amazing job on our makeup and beautiful hair for the day! Linda was so amazing at directing us into character and it was surprisingly easy to stay in character, as we actually felt like princesses!”
The five images within the series tell the story of Spring and Summer – the daughters of Mother Nature – who were banished by an evil goblin to the Forgotten Kingdom, in order to cause their mother pain. A place where nothing lives and nobody dwells, the Forgotten Kingdom is meant to be inescapable. The series follows the daughters on their journey back home.
YouTubers have been some of Linda’s biggest collaborators of the last year. When asked who else she’d like to work with, Linda concludes: “There are a lot of YouTubers I would love to work with, especially those who are open to the creative possibilities of being in their own fairytale!”
Those wishing to view all the photos in full quality can do so by visiting Linda’s Instagram page. Those looking to view Ashleigh’s work can do so by visiting her official website.
Want More?
This past December, Linda teamed up with Carrie Hope Fletcher for a fairy-themed photo series! Alternatively, you could read about Chris Bingham‘s new album, MMXXCV.
For updates follow @TenEightyUK on Twitter or like TenEighty UK on Facebook.
