Happy New Year, muggles! The arrival of January 1, 2019 means the holidays are almost over and it’s time to reveal the 2018 Chanterelle Photography card, “Magical Holiday”! Inspired by the Potions class scene in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, this theme has been on the list of card ideas for YEARS. To be honest, it sat on the list a long time because it intimidated me. It’s not like we have a bunch of places in or around Montgomery that could pass for Hogwarts. I knew a lot of props and A LOT of Photoshop magic (pun intended) would be required to make it even remotely believable. In the end, I think it worked. Mischief managed!
Some behind the scenes details
*The finished photo is a composite of 14 images. It may be more than that, I lost count after a while. But looking at it now, I can pick out at least 14 in there.
*The potion bottles are all labeled and filled, but the contents aren’t exactly the items listed on the labels (I don’t keep a supply of bat wings on hand, sue me). The “toad tongues” are dried cranberries, and “ash of bone” is powdered cappuccino mix. Some of the other items I used: peppercorns, dried mushrooms, balsamic glaze, and panko bread crumbs.
*There really was blue smoke coming out of the cauldron, thanks to a small LED light (from one of my favorite places, Harbor Freight) and four votive candles.
*The shoot took place in my dining room, which does not have old stone walls. The stone texture came from a photo I shot in 2010 of castle ruins in Ireland.
*Watson had never put his feet on any table in the house before our shoot day. I was a little concerned that I might be teaching him a bad habit if I put him up there (especially since I bribed him with Nutrish meatballs), but as far as I know, he hasn’t attempted it since. Let’s hope it stays that way!
Want to see our cards from previous years? Look here for the ones featuring Watson: 2017, 2016, and 2015. There’s also one epic blog post with the 8 cards that featured Missy: 2007-2014.
Want to create your own Harry Potter themed photo? Here are links to some of the items we used (click the photos below to go to the corresponding item’s page on Amazon)! Some of the items we ordered are no longer available, so I’ve linked some that are nearly identical. Please note: this post contains some referral and/or affiliate links. What this means is, if you click on one of the links and purchase the item shown, I may receive a small commission from the company selling that item (as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases). This happens at no additional cost to you – the price of the item is the same whether you order through one of my links or not.
