If you, the reader, ever have an opportunity to browse through my Facebook news feed, you'll see that the usual diet of friend's postings and funny cat pictures are offset by a consistent flow of Gothic photography and graphics; these coming from various groups that I belong to or pages that I've liked. From time to time, I have attempted to find the original sources of these photos in order to secure permission for use on this blog. Two or three weeks ago one such photograph came across my news feed that I quickly found myself enamored with. The model, who calls herself Mira, The Empress of Darkness, is seen standing outside a large, log house, which according to the photo, was built between 1620 and 1630. Her dark appearance integrates perfectly with the setting as grass and wild flowers grow atop this most rustic-looking of buildings. The scene is both Gothic and pastoral; I find it beautiful.
Although Miramariann, as she also calls herself, is a very compelling model, it is both her style of dress and the settings at which her photo-ops take place that I find equally appealing.
Several years back, I wrote a series of short stories and novelettes in which a lady named Raven is a central character. In each of these tales she dresses darkly but elegantly. Truth be told, Miramariann's fashion sense is almost exactly as I envisioned my Raven's at the time--dark, stylish, but not excessive. And just as my tales of Raven are generally cast in rural and natural settings, so are Miramariann's photo sessions; which apparently, take place in her native Norway. I consider the mix of her dark fashion, the rural setting in which her photo shoots take place, and the historic structures she and her photographer cast in the background, as art in the truest sense of the word. If nothing else, I'm amazed at how Mira's offerings mesh so well with my own imagination as seen through a fictitious character named Raven that I created some time ago.
I'm including a couple of favorites from Miramariann's collection here. But if you'd like to view more of her material you can visit her Facebook Page, which can be found right here.She also has a blog that contains some wonderful photos. The text is in Norwegian, but Mira has graciously installed Google Translate, which is accessible from the top of the page. It helps! Believe me! Mira's Gotiske Verden can be found here.
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Photos appear here courtesy of Mira: The Empress of Darkness
How serendipitous that you discovered Mira's photos, especially as her appearance conforms so well to a character that you imagined. And how interesting to think that your fictional character's doppelgänger turned out to be Norwegian. :)
ReplyDeleteDo you have a Facebook page for The Gothic Embrace or are you referring to your personal page?
Believe it or not, Little Gothic Horrors, I never even considered creating a Facebook page for The Gothic Embrace; even though other bloggers that I follow have done so. Otherwise, I'm not quite sure what you're asking me. The pages I linked to in this entry are those belonging to Miramariann. If you're asking about a page containing my stories, that's the project I'm working on right now. When that's ready to launch I'll do a posting about it here.
DeleteI hope I've answered your questions.
Oh, I'm sorry I confused you! I've been migraine-y the last couple of days and you're not the first person I've left bewildered. I've been even less articulate than I usually am. Haha. When you mentioned your Facebook feed, I just wondered whether you had a page for The Gothic Embrace as well as your personal page. Basically, just so I could follow The Gothic Embrace on FB, if it existed. That's all. :)
DeleteOh I see. It seems that I'm the one that confused you, but as you now know, I was talking about my personal page.
DeleteThat was so great:) Thank you :)
ReplyDeleteMiraMariann
You're very welcome!
DeleteShe's beautiful, and I agree with you that the background of old buildings and beautiful Norwegian scenery really adds to the artistry of the photographs. I really like the one on her blog in the graveyard with that very unique looking church!
ReplyDeleteWas it a strange feeling when you first discovered Mira's photographs - her looking so much like how you'd imagined Raven?
No, I wouldn't say that it was a strange feeling. I was just really, really pleased to see someone out there who resembled my Raven so closely; that there is someone existing in the real world, who at least visibly, matches the Gothic awesomeness of my character. In the story, Raven is likely, a few years older, so that's one small difference.
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