Tag: dark garden

Explore Your Dark Fantasy in the Dark Garden of Eden

Posted on by cassieadmin in sets and themes

Star in your own dark fantasy romance

Did the Dark Garden set building post make you curious for more? Let me help you picture yourself in the Dark Garden of Eden.

A gorgeous plus-sized Black and Native American woman posing dramatically in lingerie. The living is soft, glowy reds and golds in a fantasy boudoir themed set built at Neon Velvet Studio
A dreamy romantic photo of a woman with long blonde hair in the Dark Garden of Eden limited edition fantasy set at Neon Velvet Studio! Photography by Cassandra Panek in Philadelphia, PA
Feel like Sleeping Beauty's own Aurora. Star in your own romantic fantasy with limited edition sets like the Dark Garden of Eden at Neon Velvet Studio! Photography by Cassandra Panek in Philadelphia, PA
Crown yourself queen of your favorite romantic fantasy with limited edition sets like the Dark Garden of Eden at Neon Velvet Studio! Photography by Cassandra Panek in Philadelphia, PA
a queer tattooed woman with short dark hair wearing a black lace robe posed dramatically in a lush red and gold glowy setting surrounded by fairy lights and tropical plants and roses
Will you be the hero or the villain in a dark romantic fantasy? Limited edition sets like the Dark Garden of Eden at Neon Velvet Studio! Photography by Cassandra Panek in Philadelphia, PA
It's okay to dream your life away, babe. Embrace your main character energy with limited edition sets like the Dark Garden of Eden at Neon Velvet Studio! Photography by Cassandra Panek in Philadelphia, PA
A curvy Black and Native American woman poses dreamily in a Dark Garden of Eden. Her eyes are closed and she is lit with reds and golds for a dark romantic vibe.
Be the queen of your fantasy romance with limited edition sets like the Dark Garden of Eden at Neon Velvet Studio! Photography by Cassandra Panek in Philadelphia, PA
Star in your own romantic fantasy with limited edition sets like the Dark Garden of Eden at Neon Velvet Studio! Photography by Cassandra Panek in Philadelphia, PA
Be the hero of your own dark romance with limited edition sets like the Dark Garden of Eden at Neon Velvet Studio! Photography by Cassandra Panek in Philadelphia, PA
A woman with long hair gazes longingly into a magic mirror. Star in your own romantic fantasy with limited edition sets like the Dark Garden of Eden at Neon Velvet Studio! Photography by Cassandra Panek in Philadelphia, PA
Star in your own romantic fantasy with limited edition sets like the Dark Garden of Eden at Neon Velvet Studio! Photography by Cassandra Panek in Philadelphia, PA

Are you:
✧ Corporeal (possibly involuntarily, because you’ve been cursed by a witch)
✧ Extremely into halloween, cosplay, or sweeping dramatically into a room in a floor-length gown
✧ Looking for any excuse to wear a crown
✧ Someone who looks at fantasy romances and thinks, ‘hmm, could be gayer.’
✧ Exploring your sensual side (ominous, possibly as a threat)
✧ Ready to risk it all for forbidden knowledge of the arcane
✧ A will-o-the-wisp
✧ A crone who Knows Too Much
✧ Lowkey obsessed with being a Fae Prince (in a very hot and genderqueer way)
✧ Afraid for your mother to see just which books you read last year (ahem, dark romance readers)
✧ Into the Dark Maximalism or Dark Academia aesthetic

If you answered yes to three or more of the above, it sounds like your butt belongs in the Dark Garden!

Set Building: Dark Garden of Eden

Posted on by cassieadmin in behind the scenes, sets and themes

Maybe it’s because I’m a photographer and a set building nerd, but I love to see process photos of how a series of images or a set are conceptualized and created! Here’s the first inkling of the Dark Garden of Eden set:

As you can see, the inspiration was darkness, gold, and roses. Maybe you’re looking at this thinking, ‘Wow, Cassie really loves red!’ and in 2024 that’s probably true! But it still feels surprising to me because I so rarely shot with a heavy red influence until the last few years!

I wanted greenery but not too green. I wanted it to be lush and detailed but not chaotic. So I began building…

…and this is when the Eden portion arrives! I thought, ‘More gold!’ and started buying and painting toy snakes, a totally normal expense to have to explain to my accountant as a boudoir photographer!

https://www.tiktok.com/@neonvelvetstudio/video/7128810239994137902?_r=1&_t=8imjYMhyBze

It’s difficult to paint with one hand and video with the other. But the vibe continued to expand as I added light and tested how it would look with the prisms I like to use when shooting…

https://www.tiktok.com/@neonvelvetstudio/video/7129185240781786414?_r=1&_t=8imjcuZkGbu

… and here we are, after hundreds of red fairy lights, dozens of roses, yards of black lace and greenery panels!

A versatile and moody fantasy boudoir vibe for all my dark queens and kings (and queer-coded villains, I love you). It’s a little bit fairy tale, but the dark foreboding kind that suggests maybe you’re more witch than princess. It’s a set in which you can be your own dark romance.

Dark Garden of Eden returns for a limited time in my suburban Philadelphia studio June 2024 for your choice of a mini session, deluxe session, or couples session (bring a sweetheart or a friend, or if you’re into booktok tropes, a friend you’re hoping might become a sweetheart?). Prepayment plans are available! Come see what romantic vibes are in the air.