The Demon Queen

“The Placid Fury, Mistress of the Beasts, cold as snowy mountain’s mantle…”

When actor and model Sara Robinson walked into the room in the fur mantle and horns, the long gray hair, the steel gray eyes, and the skeleton beast riding on her shoulder, those present were more than a little spellbound. Here was a character with a sense of command, of majesty and power and magic, perfect for the series we were creating on that day.

Sara created this character as a kind of demonic necromancer with the power to control all manner of beasts, alive or dead. Most of the portraits of the series have warm, earthy tones and warm light. Sara’s look was mostly comprised of neutral colors, however, so warming those up made everything too ruddy. The fur mantle and horns make me think of big, granite mountains and the fantastic creatures that live in them—trolls or dragons, perhaps, or demonic creatures of a distant age dwelling deep beneath the roots of stone, and this character the queen of such beings. So I moved away from the warm tones of the rest of the series and went in the opposite direction with this portrait, cooling it down and emphasizing the grays, desaturating the reds. I remember lighting this particular image with a beauty dish with a grid attached, which I placed camera right and directed Sara to look up into that light.

Sara and I have done so many projects together over the years that I’ve lost count. From theatre to experimental costumed shoots, we’ve shot it all. That’s because Sara is a wonderful subject to work with. She comes up with cool and interesting character concepts, puts together awesome costumes for them, and she shows up with great ideas while collaborating effortlessly with direction. It’s no wonder we’ve done so many projects together. Here is a small selection of those many looks.

Sara has also created a brand called Broader Horizons, which showcases her modeling work. She says:

Broader Horizons was started as my cosplay/ LARP persona. I wanted it to have a body positive message while also being able to promote upcoming projects. Moving forward the focus is going to be one of inclusivity and loving oneself. The pandemic has really taken a number on all of us in different ways both mentally and physically and I believe the next Era of the LARP and cosplay world’s needs to be one of compassion for ourselves and one another.
Sara Robinson

There was mercifully little to adjust when fixing some of my initial editing mistakes from 2019, just a few darker areas that needed a boost and very little difference between the two versions.

Sara would next appear in the Hauntings from a Distant Era series that followed this one and will be appearing again in an upcoming Distant Era series in early 2022 featuring a character and culture she has shaped. Here’s a sneak peek at that world…

steven Latest posts

Steven Townshend is a fine art/portrait photographer and writer with a background in theatre, written narrative, and award-winning game design. As a young artist, Steven toured the US and Canada performing in Shakespeare companies while journaling their moments on paper and film. In his transition from stage to page, Steven continued to work as a theatre photographer, capturing dramatic scenes while incorporating elements of costume, makeup, and theatrical lighting in his work. Drawn to stories set in other times and places, Steven creates works through which fellow dreamers and time travelers might examine their own humanity or find familiar comfort in the reflections of the people and places of a distant era.