Dave Watkins
By AL J. Vermette
When it comes to knowing horror, photo artist Dave Watkins sets the model
for all other artists working in the genre. Where most people work in
paints or clay, Dave works with real still life. His models are real...alive and
dripping with blood. No paint here...Dave works his magic with photos of
made up subjects who pose for him under an array of wonderful make-up
that brings his living creatures to life. The first time I saw his work I knew
we needed to have more and his Demon Girl can be seen as this issue’s
cover along with more of his photographed creatures within this issues
and the next two issues Nightmare Gallery department.
AL: Please tell our readers about when you first started shooting the
amazing photos you do?
Dave: I have been shooting images for nearly nine years now. I started as purely
Gothic and then my love of Horror led me to my current styles
AL: Your models look so well done up as the creatures they are playing,
who does your make-up?
Dave: I get the prosthetics from two companies - awencreations.co.uk and
morbidmask.co.uk, what they do not do I make myself. I usually fit the prosthetics,
basic make up I do myself and for anything complicated work with two great make
up artist - Maria Peters and Gemma Griffiths, who are also models.
AL: Do you mostly work with the horror genre or do you take photos of
other subjects as well?
Dave: I shoot several other styles, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Abstract, Fetish, Art Nudes and
have a great love of Sunsets
AL: How do you find your models for your shoots?
Dave: I have a wonderful team of models who I work with and also am quite often
contacted by models who want to do something different. Also friends of my model
team often ask to be involved. I also put casting calls on a model site if I am looking
for a specific look for a set of images
AL: Are there any shots you like best of your collection?
Dave: Thats a hard one, it changes all the time. I am very proud of Maria's
Werewolf headshot and Eden's Feral Vampire, but could not single out one images
as a favorite
AL: Are there any creatures you like to shoot the most?
Dave: It would have to be Vampires. They cover such a wide range of looks, from
the traditional, to the fururistic, to the feral and even the erotic.
AL: What creatures have you yet to photograph that you would very much
like to shoot?
Dave: The list is practically endless. Medusa is at the top, Winged vampires,
winged demons, Serpent women, House of Wax, Siren, plus many more. I am
hoping to attract some sponsorship or backing in 2010, so I can expand the scale of
the prosthetics I use.
AL: Besides the pages of Blood Moon Rising, where else can our readers
and your fans find your work?
Dave: Your readers can find my images on my site www.drakenphotography.com,
on such sites as Net-Model.com and Model Mayhem. In my current books " Draken
- Evolution" , Cempestre - Fantasy Female Warriors, which are available on Blurb.
com. I have two books currently under construction, one of which "A year of two
halves" will be out at the end of January and "Mythicus Femella - creatures from
beyond imagination" which will be out at Christmas 2010.
AL: What plans do you have for the future and where do you see your work
in the years ahead?
Dave: Apart from my books and magazine work, I will be aiming to use more and
grander prosthetics and outfits over the coming years, and using more than one
model in some shoots. I am also aiming for a gallery exhibition of my Horror work at
the end of 2010. Apart from that I intend to keep on having fun and seeing what
new creatures and horrors I can invent over the coming years.
Screenwriter
Guther Gupter,
click here
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