In November 2025, I had the opportunity to do a joyful project central to Distant Era’s values and my own.
It all started in July 2025 when I shared Deana Vazquez’s witchy birthday on The All Worlds Traveller. My friend Erin Rogers is one of the most constant supporters of my work. She remarked how much fun it would be to do a shoot like Deana’s. And I said, Well.. you can.
That got Erin thinking, and in August 2025, she told me her plan to gather her lifelong gaming companions in her home in Athens, Ohio, and celebrate fifty years of friendship with a big photo session to commemorate the event.
The Backstory Behind the Backstory
Erin and I became friends in 1993, when I was seventeen years old and had just started performing at the Ohio Renaissance Festival as the apprentice liar. My first year, Erin worked at the front gate where I was often scheduled to perform. After lying about who I was, I introduced myself.
“I’m the apprentice liar!” I said.
“You’re a pheasant herder?”
“Apprentice liar!”
“Pheasant herder?!”
This is my memory of our first conversation.
The following year, Erin joined the street cast, as did my high school bestie and gaming buddy John Klump. (That will be important later.) Thirty-three years ago, we all shared many laughs and comedy bits as we entertained patrons of the faire.
BOTTOM: Erin Rogers (right) in 1995.
Meaningful Work
As Erin and I discussed the shoot, the idea came into being: Erin wanted to summon her gaming companions from across the country and bring them back home to Athens, Ohio. (Athens, Ohio, is a home for me, as well. I attended Ohio University there from 1993 to 1997.)
Part of our session would show them at the table together, playing, having fun, being themselves. We wanted to capture the spirit of what it was like to be there with them, show their love and their companionship.
Unlikely Companions
A week prior to my departure for Athens, my aforementioned high school bestie and gaming companion John called out of the blue. I mentioned I’d be passing by Columbus and asked whether he might like to join. He did.
And just like that, I was on my way to photograph a celebration of gaming and friendship while celebrating similarly with my own old friend. It was also a reunion among faire folk in a special part of the country that was once my home.
The Portraits
Between the time Erin had the idea to do the session and our consultation, I photographed portraits at Gen Con 2025. Seeing the Gen Con portraits roll in, Erin enhanced her idea from having her friends carry props relevant to their character to having them dress in full costumes to do portraits as adventurers. So that’s what we did!
The portraits below were their final selections.
Behind the Scenes
I was blessed with two incredible assistants at the shoot. One was John Klump and the other was Erin’s dad Chip, who held one part of the fabric background while cracking jokes and keeping everyone smiling all through the day. Both are pictured below.
For most of the portraits, I used restricted lights that emphasized shadow. In the behind-the-scenes pictures below, you can see a small strip box with a grid lighting the archer (compare to the final portrait above). The wizard is short-lit with a gridded beauty dish from slightly behind the subject; on the other side of him, a gridded light with an orange gel gives the impression of the firelight we later composited into the scene (see above). The special effects come from stock images, Oniric (the monk’s sticks), and Boris Optics, in the case of the archer and thief.
A Second Look
For this edition of the Traveller, I wanted to pick out a few alternate expressions from the session and polish them up for Erin.
In early February, Erin received the matted prints and box from this session. Now she has a beautiful printed collection of these memories (and my MVP Chip), to treasure this memory and these people, for all time.
After our portrait session, we ventured outside and took some shots along the trail, as if the companions were walking down the road together on their way to adventure. Erin has a sign outside her home that reads “Welcome to Erinshire.” This is the name of our shoot and the name of the magical place where we made it.
I am beyond grateful to my dear friend Erin for all of her friendship and support over the years, as well as for this opportunity to create a project celebrating the love she has for her companions. I am grateful for the time I got to spend with my own best man and lifelong gaming companion. It was the most fulfilling of fulfilling life experiences.
