Chad Michael Ward

"The Stars are Blackest at Night" premieres at the 2017 HP Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland in ONE WEEK!

This Cthulhu-inspired short film was written, produced and directed by Darren Eskandari and myself over the course of 72 hours.

Meghan Chade...

What I'm Watching - September 2017

I haven't had a lot of time lately to watch many shows or movies, but here's what I've had a chance to absorb this month:

THE DEUCE - Caught the first two eps this new HBO series from THE WIRE's David Simon and I gotta say, I absolutely love it.  I'm not a huge fan of James Franco usually, but he absolutely kills it here ...

THE STARS ARE BLACKEST AT NIGHT - Candids

Here are some random BTS photos, mostly shot by lead actress Amanda Jones, on set during Day Two of THE STARS ARE BLACKEST AT NIGHT.

2017-09-18 19:15:07 +0000 UTC View Post

TSABAN - Day 1

At this point in my career, I've directed 33 music videos. I shot my first narrative, a short film called "Fable" back in 2007 and my first feature film, "Strange Blood" in 2013. Now, four years laters, I'm finally back in the director's chair for my next short film (who's title we're not releasing yet).

I can even express how...

THE STARS ARE BLACKEST AT NIGHT

Ten hours until the official start of the 72hr HP Lovecraft Film Contest.

I can't believe we're about to do this.

Darren Eskandari and I have managed to assemble a really talented team of people to go into battle with us over ...

No Updates this Week

Hey gang!  I'm not going to be able to update Patreon this week as I am participating in a 72 Hour Short Horror Film competition based around the mythos of H.P. Lovecraft's work.

I'll be writing and co-directing alongside Darren Eskandari on an 8 minute short called "The Stars are Blackest at Night".  The film will b...

Courtlyn Cannan: Fallen Angel

Here's another set from my 2014 collaborative series with body-painter Michael Rosner, featuring Courtlyn Cannan and a few slithery snakes.

I first met Courtlyn when she was just 16 when she first arrived to Los Angeles and starred in the music video for This Can't End Well's ...

September Photo Set: Amanda Jones

Happy Birthday Amanda Jones!

To celebrate, here's a new set of my gorgeous friend that we shot for Deandri Clothing a few months back.

Amanda seems made to model Deandri's Wednesday Addams-inspired clothing, so we were both incredibly excited when they sent us a c...

September Photo Set: Nickie Jean for Junker Designs

Holy shit, is it actually September already?  Where did the time go?

Summer is still in full effect here in Los Angeles.  After a relatively mild few months, it's starting to actually feel like summer as a 100+ degree heatwave has hit the city with its fiery claws.  This is always the time of year I hate ...

The Elegant Horror of Alyssa Marquez

I first met Alyssa Marquez through her boyfriend, FX artist Dan Gilbert at Monsterpalooza a few years ago.  Once I moved to my new studio, Alyssa agreed to come sit for me.

As the studio space was new, I hadn't yet figured out what I wanted to do with it and had not yet discovered my pain...

Introducing Laura Wrong!

My team is expanding!

Everyone meet Laura Wrong, who is joining me in the studio as my new assistant and documentarian. Some of you may recognize her from some photos I posted her on Patreon last month.

Laura will be shooting BTS videos and photos for my BEHIND THE SCENES tier here on Patreon.

Here...

Chad Michael Ward Vs. Renee Robyn

My beautiful and extremely talented friend, photographer Renee Robyn, recently came through town and stopped by the studio for some updated portraits.  In return, she shot some portraits of me and things got...a bit messy.

Here's are my and her shots from that incredibly fun day.

2017-08-25 16:29:53 +0000 UTC View Post

The Return of Meghan Chadeayne

Meghan is and continues to be a beautifully strange figure in my universe.  I often think we were somehow separated at birth as we so many times seem to share the same brain.

Ever the gypsy, Meghan wanders in and out of my life, often sparking the creative flow in my brain each time she passes through.  She's my favo...

Sometimes I shoot Men.

I'm primarily known for my work with women, but believe it or not, I shoot men too.  Here's a selection of recent shots from the past couple of years of the various men who've come before my camera.

2017-08-18 16:34:45 +0000 UTC View Post

The Darkness of Palesaent (2014)

I first found East Coast-based muse Palesaent on Tumblr and was absolutely enthralled by the dark, sexual energy that seemed so pervasive in her work.

In 2014, she made it out to the West Coast and we immediately booked a session to shoot together.

For a variety of reasons, the shoot didn't go as planned.  In hindsi...

La Strega Fantasma featuring Bridget K

One of my favorite outdoor locations to shoot at is Malibu Creek State Park.  My friends, the very lovely Bridget K, introduced me to the park, so it's only natural that she was the first person I shot there.

Bridget and I went to a local Goodwill and found the wedding gown for dirt cheap, then c...

Getting Dirty with AmberLynn Walker

I met AmberLynn earlier this year when she tagged along with Maegan Machine during her recent visit and stay at my studio.

After shooting several set with Maegan, I turned my sights on AmberLynn, who hasn't had a lot of modeling experience but was more than game to strip down to nothing (save ...

The Allure of Eden Rose

To say Eden Rose is different than most of my muses would be...an understatement.

Like a character straight out of Nabakov's mind, she's young, beautiful, and whip-smart with a dry, cutting sense of humor.  You can't help but fall in love with her the moment you meet her.

I first met Eden when my ex...

PORTLAND (April 2017): Adriana Michima

Back in April, I took a trip up to Portland, Oregon to spend a week visiting some friends, shooting a few clients and,--the highlight of my trip--working with photographer and model Adriana Michima.

Adriana is an incredibly talented fine art photographer and it was an absolute honor to work with her.  It rained every day ...

Complete Sets VS Solo Shots

Because of the manner and variety of the way I do photoshoots, I don't always have full/large sets of images or, in some instances, putting together a full set may make releasing the photos take longer.

Would you prefer I only release finished large sets or would you like to see solo and/or small sets as they're completed?

AUGUST PHOTO SET: Maegan Machine - Sex Kitten

Taxidermist, model and body mod enthusiast Maegan Machine is a regular face in my studio and here on my Patreon.  

Maegan made a return visit to LA recently and stayed with me in my studio for the week.

We shot this "Sex Kitten" set the last day she was here, using only the available morning ...

JULY PHOTO SET: Missy Munster Designs

When muse Gabby Grave booked a shoot with me earlier this year, she brought along a designer named Missy Munster, who was kind enough to loan us a few of her hand-crafted, high-end headpieces to use in the shoot.

Missy and I became quick friends that evening and made plans to shoot more...

SPARKLE: Behind the Scenes with Jessica Dru, Vanessa Walton and Rachel Day

Here's a little video I cut together from my shoot with Jessica, Vanessa and Rachel last weekend.

Enjoy!

JULY PHOTO SET: Caitin Stickels

I first "found" my muse, Pacific Northwest-based Caitin Stickels, while on Instagram.  

Fascinated by her appearance--Caitin was born with "cat-eye syndrome"--and the imagery she was creating, I admired from affair until a mutual friend, Mika Mae, put us in touch.

When I made...

BTS: Amelia Tan Album Cover Shoot

Musician Amelia Tan stopped by the studio today to shoot a bunch of new images for her upcoming new album.

Here's a quick little video I shot while we were working on the second look.

I've got a bunch of video from my recent fantasy shoot with Jessica Dru, Rachel Day and Vanessa Walton as well as from my nude shoot with ...

JULY PHOTO SET: Court of the Wynter Wytches

I first met Blizzard Games' Jessica Dru via our mutual friend Glenn Hetrick (SyFy's FACE OFF) a few years ago and new immediately that I had to get her in front of my camera.

It took a while for out schedules to align, but when they finally did, boy was I in for a surprise!  Jessica brought her friends with her--co...

News and Updates

July has absolutely blown up with bookings.  I'm shooting a ton of new content for all of you, with another 12 (!!) shoots scheduled before the end of the month.

Yesterday I finally picked up an iPhone tripod, which means I'll finally be able to regularly shoot BTS videos for my $15 tier and above Patrons, starting with t...

JULY PHOTO SET: The Bone Witch, Arielle Rose and Laura Wrong

I first met Leo Olsen, aka The Bone Witch, during my 2015 West Coast road trip.  We drove up the side of a mountain in Santa Cruz and shot a bunch of great stuff in the nearby forest.

Leo would return a year later to LA with two friends--Arielle Rose and Laura Wrong--in tow. Wearing horned headpieces designed by Le...

First Community Post

Love that Patreon has now added a community section here on the site.  What a great way for us all to talk!

I'll be posting here regularly about everything going on in my world beyond just photography.

Want to join in?  Click on the "Community" tab and let's get started!

LILLIAN WINTERS GOES TO WONDERLAND (PDF)

As a huge thank you for joining my Patreon Community, here's the PDF version of my latest book, LILLIAN WINTERS GOES TO WONDERLAND.

From the book's introduction:

In early 2003 Lillian Winters was uncovering the world of art modeling when she met photographer Chad Michael Ward, and since their initial collaboration Ward�...