When you're taking your first steps into a new style of art or want to trigger some fresh new ideas for a style you've been working with for ages, talking to other people about their work can be just the thing to get those creative juices flowing.

I interviewed four horror photographers on deviantART about their art to investigate what inspires them and find out if they have any technical advice for other artists. Their interviews, and some examples of their work, are below. Enjoy, and in the words of *WinterRose31, 'Don't be afraid to get messy!'


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--> XERCES <--

=Xerces' interview.

How long have you been creating horror art?
Since about August, 2005. That was when I did my first piece- 'Anarchy'. I'd say it stemmed from there.

What first inspired you to create horror art?
I'm not sure what first inspired me. Possibly the combination of music and the love of other people's horror art, and also the great satisfaction of making people up in blood. It's so much fun!

What continues to inspire your horror art?
I'm mostly inspired by music- especially with my recent Song Name Series.

What props, equipment or supplies do you use the most?
I'd say the three types of fake blood, a silver cross, black feathers, wax, knives and scalpel. I have a props box full of intriguing items.

Do you have any advice, hints or tips for anyone who wants to try horror photography?
Lighting, good camera and a steady hand are key. You need to have a clear idea of what you want out of a picture - write down your ideas. If you're doing it alone, make sure you have everything to hand, as well as a strong posable lamp - lighting is essential for dark pictures without the grainyness. Also, take as many photos as you can, so rather than having one good picture, you can select the best picture from many, changing angles and lighting.


From =Xerces' gallery.




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--> DIZZZ <--

=dizzz's interview.

How long have you been creating horror art?
I made some attempts towards this kind of photography in 2002/2003. The topics I then dealt with were death, suicide and ghosts. However, these were as well my first steps in digital photography and after some time I ended up taking goth pictures rather than horror ones. The fascination with macabre pictures came back to me over a year ago, in the summer of 2005, when I bought fake blood and started to play with it. And since then I just can’t stop it!

What first inspired you to create horror art?
I think that what first inspired me were horror films I used to watch in my childhood. I still watch them from time to time but not as often as I used to as a child. What I wanted to show in my pictures was a kind of “aesthetic” macabre. I do not want to make it brutal, painful to look at, etc. I still care about the elements such as composition or the lighting. Sometimes I have to hurry because the (fake) blood flows quite fast and I know that if I waste a second hesitating which angle will be the right one I may lost the shot. Anyway, it’s fun to play with fake blood.

What continues to inspire your horror art?
Very often these are the works of others and not necessarily horror pictures. It happens that a detail - a certain location, face expression or lighting seen in a picture brings an idea or association to my mind and thus becomes a basis for my horror shot.

What props, equipment or supplies do you use the most?
The gadget I mainly use (and overuse) is fake blood. The second thing is the make-up. I use casual face cosmetics such as lipstick, eye shadows and liquid foundation to dramatise the model’s looks.

Do you have any advice, hints or tips for anyone who wants to try horror photography?
One thing that applies not only to horror and macabre but also other types of photography is not to copy others and find your own way of creating art. Others’ pieces may be very inspiring but imitating them is not the point. Secondly, horror pictures are not only about blood, vampires and suicide. Find your own way of presenting disturbing images. It may be difficult at the beginning when the ideas that come to your mind are nothing but cliches. Try to dabble in them remembering that it’s not only the subject itself but also the way you present it. And once you get familiar with dreadful topics just let your imagination go wild!


From =dizzz's gallery.




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--> L-U-T-H-E-R <--

~L-u-t-h-e-r's interview.

How long have you been creating horror art?
I have been doing horror art for a little over a year now.

What first inspired you to create horror art?
What first inspired me to do horror art was growing up on horror movies and going to haunted walks. Things like that, and just having the desire to want to do it myself.

What continues to inspire your horror art?
What continues to inspire me now to keep making horror art would have to be the positive feedback that I get. I love hearing peoples' reaction.

What props, equipment or supplies do you use the most?
Well, there isn't a specific thing that I use the most. If i'm at the store and I see something that sparks an idea I will probably wind up only using it once but I do use my fake blood a lot (a combination of karo corn syrup and food coloring) and natural lighting.

Do you have any advice, hints or tips for anyone who wants to try horror photography?
If you use the corn syrup recipe for blood add a very little amount of blue food coloring to make it darker (I made that mistake and the blood turned out looking pink, I guess you just have to experiement through trial and error). And also just have fun with it!!


From ~L-u-t-h-e-r's gallery.




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--> WINTERROSE31 <--

*WinterRose31's interview.

How long have you been creating horror art?
Not very long. A couple of months.

What first inspired you to create horror art?
Mainly other people on DA. Mostly RockstarVanity and Suzi9mm.

What continues to inspire your horror art?
I've always been a fan of dark arts. It thrills me to be able to create something that I love, but also that other people love just as much.

What props, equipment or supplies do you use the most?
Well, I can't say that I've done a lot of horror compared to other people, but fake blood adds a nice touch to any horror piece. I found some recipes online and made my own fake blood, which turned out pretty good. But I recently purchased a big bottle of fake blood and it's much better. My boyfriend collects swords, daggers and knives so I like to use some of his pieces in my photography too. But my main prop has been my kids.

Do you have any advice, hints or tips for anyone who wants to try horror photography
My best advice is that if you have an idea, go for it. But be open-minded about it. Often I have an idea for a picture, and I manage to get what I wanted in one or two shots. But I'll keep on shooting from different angles and with different poses and many times the one I end up liking the best isn't the one I planned on taking. There are some other tips that I've picked up from other people and from the internet, especially about fake blood. Chocolate sauce with a bit of red food coloring will make a nice, thick dark red blood and also looks really great in black and white. If you go search the internet for fake blood recipes, you'll find a lot of different ones but many of them have similar ingredients. Try using different recipes and different measurements on the ingredients until you find the perfect one for you. But most of all, don't be afraid to get messy!


From *WinterRose31's gallery.