Oh Instagram.  You are starting to know me a bit too well….

Dead Men Tell No Tales

One day this summer an ad for the Finfolk Skeleton Mermaid Tail, Dead Men Tell No Tales, popped up in my feed.  And I knew.  That tail was going into my pool!

I have been following Finfolk for a while and knew they were one of the leading makers of high quality Mermaid Tails.  You see.  Some of you may not be aware, but there is a whole world of Mermaids, Mermaiding, and Mermaid Tails.  And oh, what an amazing world it is!

Girly Girls

I’ve never been a girly girl.  I don’t really wear makeup, my hair is generally in a messy bun, my nails are rarely even filed, much less painted…and by age six I declared that I would never wear PINK again. 

That declaration stuck for basically my entire childhood. And most of my young adult life.  Even now, I’ll wear dusty rose or fuchsia, but traditional girly bubblegum pink? Pretty much, no…

The World of Mermaiding

So how did I fall into the MERMAIDING world?  Oh, that one is easy. You see.  While I may not be a princess pink kind of girl, I AM all about finding your strength and living your dreams.  And that is exactly what Mermaiding is all about!  Mermaids are not some delicate flowers.  They are powerful, mysterious, awe inspiring. Mermaids are some of the strongest creatures in the Sea.

Creative Rabbit Hole

The chance to create a Halloween Skeleton Mermaid Photoshoot in my pool was *beyond* tempting!!  So. Down the Creative Rabbit Hole I went!

Like most of my Creative Projects, this one took on a life of its own of course!  Why shoot with one Skeleton Tail when you can shoot with two!?!

I reached out to Finfolk. When they loved my idea sketch we jumped in and began planning this crazy Halloween shoot – in August!

Styled Underwater

That’s the thing with these big Styled Shoots.  They take a LOT of planning.  Not just coordinating the shoot itself – with two models, two assistants, a videographer, a lifeguard, and a makeup artist.

And not just the props.  Like the Chandelier from Dilworth Lighting, Tails from Finfolk, Chair procured from some guy in the Harris Teeter parking lot off Facebook Marketplace, and Halloween decorations gathered from JoAnns Fabric, my attic, and a friend’s garage!

It is also the figuring the darn thing out.  How do you float a wrought iron chandelier?  Or light candles underwater?  How do you hang a backdrop across a 22’ wide freeform pool (most people use rectangle pools and hang the backdrops down the edge – but I have a 4’ rock wall around two thirds of my pool!). And how do you get a wooden chair to sink (confession – I know now – but I failed that day!)  HA! Hello haunted floating chair!!

Easier? Where is the fun in that?!?

I learn SO much with every single shoot.  My team and I learn and improve every time we get in the water. 

I started to type that it gets easier every shoot.  It should, right?  Um. Yeah. 

Except.  I have never been good at “easy”.

So. I learn one thing – then take on something else the next time.  Before one thing really ever becomes “easy” I have already taken three steps up the ladder and don’t even notice the easy part because I am already working on something that much harder! My poor team!  But they must love me – they have stuck around all season.  (And are already sending me ideas for next year.  So, I think they secretly like my cray cray 😉

Dead Men Tell No Tails

I must give much credit to the entire Team Salty on this one. Everyone did an amazing job!!

Our two mermaids absolutely rocked their first time Mermaiding. Lisa Lutz was not only an incredible model, but she was an incredible inspiration throughout the planning process, created a spectacular crown for the session, and blew me away doing her OWN makeup for the session! I can’t wait to work with you again Lisa!!

Kelly showed up in style once again! We have wanted to work together in the water again since our Underwater Roller Derby Session last summer, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity!

Rainbow Tail?

Now I am definitely ready to work with another Finfolk Mermaid Tail, who wants to jump in with me in the spring? Maybe a rainbow tail??

What are your Mermaid Dreams…