JaJasGarden Jiamin Zhu Photography

Photography, Art

[jajasgarden]

The Unorthodox

Taken inside the collegiate gothic style library. We absolutely love this window backlight!

Model: @astridadventure (Thank you for being a goddess for me on your birthday!) Color toned with Golden Age from @only.thecurious Photography: @jajasgarden

[jajasgarden]

An Elven Dream. I was feeling festive editing this one with Christmas hues of green and red. In the upcoming darkest winter days, may you surround yourself with love and lights.

Model: @turkannajar Makeup, fabric assistance: @u4realbeauty Chest Armor: @wyrmwick Color toned with Regal, Wolf in the Woods, Inferno, Iris, Nightshade from @only.thecurious

oniricglows with @compositenation Hair movements, added flowers with PS generative fill Photography, Styling: @jajasgarden

[jajasgarden]

"Beside me always, a kingdom of spirit; inside of me, a haunted house." -- Segovia Amil

Model, Makeup, Hair: @ggitsamyg (thank you for your amazing catwalk here!) Mask Headpiece: @tuahadedana Black Elizabethan Collar: @videnoircouture Claws: @lorysunartistry

Photography, Styling: @jajasgarden

[jajasgarden]

"Let your mind start a journey though a strange new world Leave all thoughts of the life you knew before Let your soul take you where you long to be Only then can you belong to me

Floating, falling sweet intoxication Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in To the power of the music that I write The power of the music of the night

You alone can make my song take flight Help me make the music of the night" -- The Phantom of the Opera

Photo taken in a garden, playing with harsh lights and shadows. I love the shadow of the flowers painted onto her face. What would you do if you are not afraid of the sun right. I went with a more mysterious color toning so it's in between sunlight and moonlight.

Model, Makeup, Hair, Styling: @theporcelainpinupdoll (thank you for being so interactive with flowers and sunlight!)

Photography: @jajasgarden

[jajasgarden]

The Dragon Whisperer

I really want to use my cute dragon prop. I also really want to use the Elden Ring Malenia helmet. I wonder what that image would look like?!

Model: @thecrimsonpixie (thank you for being a stunning warrior in the forest) Armor: @wyrmwick

[jajasgarden]

I'm back! After an inspiring journey of nature therapy (which I'll tell you all about soon), I'm ready to dive into a new season of fantasy photoshoots and finally reimagine my backlog.

To kick things off, here's a new image I created for the upcoming O-Jak Bridge Art & Dance Festival 2024.

This year’s theme is a unique adaptation of the timeless tales from One Thousand and One Nights. It immediately reminded me of a photoshoot I did with my lovely friend Mariam in the hallways of Suzzallo Library. She was gracefully twirling in her vibrant red Indian-Pakistani bridal dress, and I remember thinking, "Wouldn't it be amazing if I could transform this into an Arabian moonlight dream?" And voilà, this is how I envision the final image.

My talented friend @mikkukfriend worked hard on this show. Please join us at O-Jak Bridge Festival 2024 for a magical evening inspired by the tales of Scheherazade from One Thousand and One Nights on Nov 16th & 17th, 2024. 'EARLYBIRD' 10% discount now through Sep 29th. Learn More @ojak_bridge_festival 2024 Represented by @mmdc_dance_company @adageballetacademy

Model, Makeup, Hair, Style: @mariam_janni Color toned with Wolf in the Woods, Garden of Paradise, The Kiss from @only.thecurious

oniricglows with @compositenation Photography @jajasgarden

[jajasgarden]

北の姫

Throwback to last year's snowshoeing adventure at Lake Easton, where we braved 1.5 ft of snow and freezing windchill (Look at that windy texture from her garment)

As the temperature rises, I find myself nostalgic for the colder days. There's something about the darkness of winter that sparks creativity and calms my mind.

Happy #EnchantedAsianDay

Model and styling: @jojodaydream Collar: @tuahadedana Color toned with Wolf in the Woods, Ghostly Pale, Blush of Rose from @only.thecurious Photography @jajasgarden

[jajasgarden]

The Cryptic Chronicle of a Knight and Her Spirit

An experimental edit. I am captivated by Jessica's pose, which evokes a sense of determination, strength, and calm. I imagined her summoning her greatest battle or perhaps confronting an imaginary foe. What is the backstory? What fate awaits her?

Such endless possibilities. How merciful is life to grant us imaginations.

Model: @jlbrooksmodel Crown: @blackunicorndesigns Armor: @wyrmwick designed by @dragonarmoury Harness: @videnoircouture Corset: @mirirart Color toned with Iris, Moonstruck, Inferno, Wolf in the Woods from @only.thecurious,

oniricglows with @compositenation Photography @jajasgarden

[jajasgarden]

"There is the mud, and there is the lotus that grows out of the mud. We need the mud in order to make the lotus." – Thich Nhat Hanh

The lotus flower symbolizes emerging from darkness into beauty and rebirth. It blooms directly from muddy, murky waters, emerging unscathed while producing exquisite blossoms.

In so many ways, this reflects exactly how the photo was made. Dear Chinara danced fearlessly in the murky waters, surrounded by lily pads. The white fabrics were soaked with dirt during the shoot. I stepped on some hidden logs in the dark water, almost dropping my camera in the process. A water crane flew by. There was a beautiful sunset in the distance.

The splendor that unfolds before us, both the mud and the lotus, both seen and unseen.

Model: @chinara07 (Thank you for braving through the muddy water!) Headpiece: @zerrenety Color toned with Apparition, Nightshade, Amethyst from @only.thecurious oniricglows with @compositenation Photography @jajasgarden

[jajasgarden]

"Some people love you. Maybe what they love is their illusions of you. What they truly love is still their own desires. You are just a tool, a vessel, a sunset that they can only interpret, afar from the riverbank. No one can reach you. Just like no one can reach the core of that sunset."

Model @dashauofficial / @dashauofficial2 Fabric Specialist @dlavrentyev Color toned with Midsummer's Dream, Inferno from @only.thecurious Photography @jajasgarden

[jajasgarden]

Blue hour fairytale

Taken right after sunset. Used photoshop dodge, burn, curves, color contrast, glow to modify lighting in post production.

Added glow to the center flower and one side of her face

Color toned with Apparition, Inferno, Moonstruck, Another Realm, Flickering Firelight, Iris, Moonstone from @only.thecurious - I love the various shades and depth of blue from the combo of these actions Model: @liliya325 Fairy headpiece: @blackunicorndesigns

Photography, styling @jajasgarden

[jajasgarden]

Witchblade inspired photoshoot

Savage Beauty Women are savage beauties - only a thing of beauty which brings forth new life could be so capable of such savagery, of such destruction - of death upon her own body. -- Segovia Amil

Model: @jamie_bauern (Thank you for your ferocity) Headpiece: @zerrenety

oniricglows with @compositenation hair movements #generativefill with @photoshop Photography, Styling @jajasgarden

[jajasgarden]

"People deserve the beautiful, yet shouldn't allow it to dictate their joy or sorrow, their gain or loss."

Someday, we shall wander through a field of blooming flowers. We will be covered in their delicate petals. Yet, despite our longing to grasp them, our hands shall remain empty.

In this fleeting touch of the present moment, is all we have, is all there is.

In the photo is @waichingstudio, a very talented local Seattle fashion designer who is modeling in her own one-of-kind colorful bridal dress. So glad we collaborated again after many years.

Fashion Designer, Model: @waichingstudio Headpiece designer: @hajnaluna_headdresses Color toned with Apparition, Inferno, Another Realm from @only.thecurious

oniricglows with @compositenation

generativefill with @photoshop

Photography @jajasgarden

[jajasgarden]

Moon Mermaid

When Alice sat down in the lake, I pictured her colorful Padme Amidala dress transforming into a mermaid tail. I tested out Photoshop generative fill with this edit. I literally selected the entire bottom of the dress in the water and asked generative fill for a mermaid tail. After 10+ tries, this is the result. :)

I dream that if Queen Amidala were to touch the ocean, she would make the entire ocean glow and glitter like the stars in the sky. So I pictured her playing with bioluminescence in the water. I darkened the entire surrounding, balanced out the sunny water spots, and added blue sparkles around her tail.

Finally, I cleaned up the photo by removing the log right in front of her, added glow-in-the-dark fins to her hair, added a finger ring, and ironed out wrinkles in the dress.

Model: @rowsonphotography Color toned with Ultraviolet, Garden of Paradise, Wolf in the Woods from @only.thecurious Bioluminescence #oniricglows with @compositenation

#generativefill with @photoshop

Photography @jajasgarden

[jajasgarden]

Just finished reading "The Toad" by Hans Christian Andersen. Anyone else familiar with this piece?

Online description:

"A very exciting story of a little toad, who motivated by the excitement for adventure, leaves his home at the bottom of a well, and his curiosity leads him into some very interesting adventures. He bears inside his head a most precious jewel, the ceaseless longing for a higher experience. In the end he is carried as far up on a stork's mouth as he ever could be. This tale imparts the thought that our finest possession is not what we own, but what we are."

My emotions are quite mixed after reading this piece. There were numerous hidden (and dark) side themes intricately woven into the main story that are worth reflecting upon.

It brought to mind a photo we took in the spring with Ava, featuring a captivating toad statue in a park. Ava shared a story about a toad's poison saving her life. We delved into the realms of a love story between a butterfly fairy and a toad or even a twisted tale where an enchantress turned the toad into a statue out of excessive love.

Regardless of how the photos turned out, the creative process behind them has planted imaginary tales in my mind. I contemplate them. I reflect on them. I hold onto them. They are the remnants of my childhood that will eventually age away forever.

"But the jewel in the head of the Toad? Look for it in the sun; look at it if you can." - The Toad

Model: @ava.j.holmes Butterfly dress: @tianxi_official Makeup and Hair: @itsaliciaberg Headpiece, earrings: @namikoabloom Finger claws: @tuahadedana Color toned with Inferno, Iris, Black Gold from @only.thecurious

Photography: @jajasgarden

[jajasgarden]

Something soft. Something quiet. Something peaceful.

Can you spot the jellyfish?

This photo was taken at a lake where the waterline had receded significantly after a dry summer. Amidst the serene ambiance, the only sounds were gentle water waves and occasional bird chirps.

During post-processing, I imagined her surrounded by many people tossing flower petals, or maybe there was no one at all.

I imagined a school of jellyfish discovering her, possibly lifting her out of the water. Where they would go, I don't know.

Editing this photo brought me peace, and I hope it finds its way to you as well.

Model, Makeup, Dress: @elkhafeliphant (thank you for tolerating our water spa!)

Color toned with Inferno, Iris, Blush of Rose from Onlythecurious

Photography Jiamin Zhu JaJasgarden

[jajasgarden]

Once upon a time, a nightingale fell in love with a goddess.

The goddess spoke to the nightingale: "You may love me now, but love is not eternal. I am immortal, and you will eventually fade away."

In a bid to prove its enduring love, the nightingale transformed itself into a jeweled bird, adorned with wings crafted from green diamonds and solid gold.

"Diamonds and gold are everlasting. I shall become them, remaining by your side," declared the nightingale before its transformation.

The goddess sighed, responding, "Dear nightingale, true love is not destined to last forever. It is meant to be free."

Model, Dress: @fida_hurlock Headpiece: @CarbickovaCrowns Gold necklace armor collar: @tokyostoriescreations Claws: @myril_jewels Color toned with Black Gold from @only.thecurious

oniricglows with @compositenation

Photography @jajasgarden