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David Cuerdon Photographer 📷

@davidcuerdon

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Greater Chicagoland area, Northern Indiana Photographer, Retoucher, Pixel Pusher, Animal Lover, Nerd, Husband, Dad –Photos are mine, unless noted

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Masquerade at the Abandoned Circus!

I recently did a Halloween shoot with the lovely and fearless Evvonniii — and we went full-on Masquerade at the Abandoned Circus!
There weren’t any clowns in the studio...
except maybe the one behind the camera. 🤡📸
Costume, lighting, and a little post-magic turned this into something deliciously eerie.

#HalloweenPhotoshoot #MasqueradeVibes #CircusGoneWrong #GlamAndGhoulish #BeautyPhotography #DarkFantasy #Evvonniii #DavidCuerdonPhotography #BehindTheMask

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✨Marilyn, My Marilyn✨

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Celeste Rasmussen is my Marilyn Monroe — a timeless beauty with that radiant smile and classic grace. 
Like Marilyn, Celeste is often seen as a “bombshell,” and yes, she’s absolutely stunning — but I also know her as a dear friend, a fellow animal lover, and a woman with a delightfully silly sense of humor. She’s the kind of person who sends ice-fishing selfies, bundled in a thousand layers and proudly holding up her latest catch! 🐟

Do you have a favorite image from our Marilyn Monroe shoot?

#MarilynMonroe #ClassicBeauty #TimelessGlamour #HollywoodStyle #RetroPortrait #BlackAndWhitePhotography #CelesteRasmussen #DavidCuerdonPhotography #BeautyAndGrace #BehindTheLens #ModernMarilyn

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🪽 “The Fallen Light” – featuring the beautiful Melody Pope ✨

A few months ago, I shot with the oh, so beautiful and amazing Melody Pope. I had this image in mind from the start—an angel caught between light and ruin.

I brought along a pair of huge (but honestly, pretty cheap-looking 😄) wings knowing they’d need a total digital makeover. All told, this piece took 38 hours—not in a row (I do sleep occasionally!).

I used very little AI—mainly for fine texture work on the wings. I hand-painted about a third of them myself (roughly 12 hours) before guiding AI to help finish the rest (3 hours of tweaking to get it right).
In total, this image is a composite of 16 different photos—a blend of my own commercial images, stock elements, and painted layers. It took time, patience, and a fair bit of trial and error, but this is exactly the vision I saw in my head that day.

The last image is a BTS composite of 8 out of the 16 images used, including the original out of camera.

The tears were created in Photoshop, “There’s no crying in baseball!” Err… photoshoots 😭😂!

Silly thought for the day: ✨ Sometimes, the wings you start with aren’t the wings you end up with.

#DigitalArt #FantasyPhotography #FineArtPhotography #CompositeArt #BehindTheEdit #PhotoshopMagic #DigitalPainting #CreativeProcess #AIandArt #PhotographyArt #MelodyPope #DavidCuerdon #CinematicPortrait #PhotoComposite #FantasyPortrait

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Lovely Lana Rose ☀️ 
Natural Light + Fake Fog (yes, it really comes in a can!)

I love natural light shoots! Too many people think “natural light” means just using whatever’s there — but the magic happens when you know how to shape it.

The atmosphere literally comes in a spray can called Atmosphere Aerosol ☁️

For decades I believed lens flare on the subject was a no-no — but lately, I’ve come to love a touch of it to add mood and glow.

This was my first time working with Lana, and she was incredible — so gorgeous, professional, and fun to work with. We’ll definitely be shooting again soon!

#NaturalLightPhotography #AtmosphereAerosol #LensFlareLove #BeautyPhotography #SoftLight #FineArtPortrait #DavidCuerdonPhotography #BehindTheLens #ModernGlamour #EtherealMood #StudioMagic #PhotographyTips #OnSetWithDavid

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The sublimely lovely Natalie Amari! 
Natalie isn’t just beautiful—she’s radiant, professional, and brings such a joyful energy to every frame. She arrived camera-ready, hair and makeup perfect, full of laughter and light.

Photographer friends: these were all lit with a SIRUI LED projector lens—small, lightweight, and surprisingly powerful. I still have the old strobe versions of this light gathering dust in my garage! Amazing how far tech has come.

Photos & Retouch: David Cuerdon @davidcuerdon⁠ ⁠
Model, Makeup, & Hair: Natalie Amari @natalie.amari

Shot during a workshop in Barrington, Illinois, hosted by the talented Ariel Salazart @arielsalazarportraits 

#Photography #PortraitPhotography #BeautyPortrait #DavidCuerdon #NatalieAmari #Sirui #PortraitLighting #LEDLighting #BehindTheScenes #StudioPortraits #PhotographersLife

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🖤My beautiful buddy Skyla —

We always manage to create something a little darkly magical for Halloween… or should I say, Skylaween. 👻💀 This time, she’s half beauty, half nightmare — a perfect balance of elegance and eerie. 
No tricks, just art. 🧙🏻‍♀️

Photography & Retouch: David Cuerdon @davidcuerdon
Model: Skyla @sparkler_27 @skyy_renee27 

#Skylaween #HalloweenShoot #DarkBeauty #CinematicPortrait #AIArt #GlamGoth #HauntedElegance #ClownMask #MoodyPortrait #DavidCuerdonPhotography #CreativePortrait #HalloweenVibes #SpookySeason #FantasyPhotography

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👑“Danyelle, Becoming a Dark Queen”

Every crown has its curse. 💀✨ 
A little Halloween and AI video fun, transforming a photo we did of our beautiful niece, Danyelle.

She steps from the light and claims her throne — not in fear, but in fierce. A little mischief, a little magic, and a whole lot of queen energy.

Photography, Retouch, AI Postwork: David Cuerdon @davidcuerdon
Model: Danyelle
Makeup & Hair: Lisa Gumz @lisagumz

Bow before beauty… or beware it. 👑🕸️

 #DarkQueenVibes #WickedRoyalty #HalloweenGlam #HauntedCrown #FunAndFright #GothicChic #DavidCuerdon

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🌕 The Sky and The Moon

Under the full moon, the line between angel and apparition gets a little blurry. 🌕✨ Sky dances in silver light — a spell woven from beauty, mystery, and just a hint of moon madness.

A little Halloween and AI video fun, transforming a photo I shot of my beautiful friend, Skyla.

Photography, Retouch, AI Postwork: David Cuerdon @davidcuerdon
Model: Skyla @sparkler_27 @skyy_renee27 

Moonlight. Magic. Mayhem. 🌙💫
 
#MoonlitMagic #HalloweenVibes #GothicGlam #OtherworldlyBeauty #SpellsAndSparkle #DarkFantasy #DavidCuerdonPhotography

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🎭 Happy or Sad — both tell a story.
 Joy and sorrow, light and shadow — both tell the truth.
Same model, same day — one image happy, one a little sad.
Every portrait carries both, even when we only show one. 

The tears? I created later in Photoshop.  No tears were shed during the shoot. 🤞

Model: Samantha Nicole @rottingrabbitt
Photography & Retouching: David Cuerdon @davidcuerdon

#EmotionalPortrait #BWPhotography #FineArtPortrait #HappyAndSad #StoryInEveryFace #CreativePhotography #PhotoshopArt #RetouchingArt #DavidCuerdonPhotography

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🍁 Autumn
There’s something I love about photographing during this time of year.
Autumn light, a gray sweater, and golden eyes that match the season. Sometimes beauty is quiet — just a moment, a breath, and a bit of soft sunlight. 🍂✨

Model: Samantha Nicole @rottingrabbitt
 Photography & Retouching: David Cuerdon @davidcuerdon

#FallVibes #AutumnPortrait #NaturalLightPhotography #PortraitMood #GoldenHourGlow #DavidCuerdon #BeautyPhotography #OutdoorPortrait #CozyVibes #PortraitOfTheDay

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The Raven 🐦‍⬛

“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary…”

I couldn’t resist creating a Raven version—another nod to Edgar Allan Poe. For me, the Raven has always been the perfect companion to the Masque: two visions of beauty, mystery, and inevitable fate.

The Raven, includes a Raven, Edgar Allan Poe, his black cat Pluto, and a bust of Pallas (Greek goddess Athena)

Which one speaks to you more—the Masque or the Raven?

#TheRaven #EdgarAllanPoe #GothicArt #DarkFantasyArt #FantasyPhotography

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MASQUE OF THE RED D3ATH

(please forgive my odd spelling, social media has a problem with that word)
 I first read Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red D3ath back in 1975, when I was 14. I was captivated by its mix of beauty, dread, and inevitability.

In 2014, we photographed the stunning Jasmine Shogren, with hair and makeup by my wife Lisa Gumz. She wore a masquerade mask, and I knew right then I wanted to someday bring Poe’s tale to life.

It took eleven years, countless hours of Photoshop, and the addition of AI tools to refine the vision. What began as a teenage dream is now finally here: my interpretation of Poe’s story.

Here are 2 videos 1 more AI influenced, the other, mostly Photoshop work. Do you have a preference? The next post will show the behind the scenes images.

#MasqueOfTheRedDeath #EdgarAllanPoe #DarkFantasyArt #PhotoshopArt #AIart #GothicArt #FantasyPhotography

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