Lady Dimitrescu: Elegance, Power & Gothic Horror | Utah Cosplay Photography
There are some characters you photograph. And then there are characters who seem to take over the entire scene the moment they arrive. Lady Dimitrescu was definitely the latter.
When I started my Beyond the Ordinary creative portrait series, this was exactly the kind of session I wanted to create-portraits that aren't simply about putting someone in a costume and taking a pretty picture. I wanted to create photographs that feel like you've stepped into the character's world.
And when Nyssa showed up as Lady Dimitrescu, there was absolutely no mistaking who had arrived.
Bringing Lady Dimitrescu to Salt Lake City
Lady Dimitrescu comes from Resident Evil Village, and she's a character built around contradictions.
She's elegant and terrifying.
Beautiful and dangerous.
Refined, but completely intimidating.
And, of course, she has a rather commanding presence.
When Nyssa applied for my Beyond the Ordinary Cosplay & Character Model Call, something she wrote about the character immediately caught my attention. She described loving Lady Dimitrescu because she represents a woman who is powerful without apology-someone who doesn't make herself smaller for anyone.
That gave me the direction for the entire session. I didn't just want photographs of Lady D. I wanted her to look powerful.
We Almost Photographed Her in a Mansion
Our original dream location was McCune Mansion. And seriously...Can you imagine?! Lady Dimitrescu wandering through an ornate historic mansion in that gown would have been incredible.
But because I was putting these first Beyond the Ordinary sessions together on a very short timeline before FanX, coordinating an indoor venue wasn't practical for this particular shoot. So, we changed directions. Instead of putting Lady D inside a mansion, I started looking for architecture that could help us suggest her world without recreating it literally.
And that brought us to the historic architecture around First Presbyterian Church in Salt Lake City. Once I saw Nyssa standing against that massive stone building, I knew we had what we needed.
Making Her Look Larger Than Life
One of my favorite things about creative portrait photography is figuring out how the camera itself can help tell the story. For Lady Dimitrescu, that meant:
GET. LOW
Really low.
Rather than photographing Nyssa primarily at eye level like I would during a traditional portrait session, I photographed several images from below. Suddenly the building stretched upward. Her gown seemed even longer. The enormous hat became more dramatic. And Lady Dimitrescu absolutely towered over the person looking at the photography. Exactly what I wanted.
In some of my favorite images from the evening, she's surrounded by this massive Gothic architecture-and somehow, she still commands your attention.
That's Lady D.
The Lady Before the Monster
I didn't want every photograph to be overtly threatening, either. Part of what makes this character interesting is the elegance. So we started there.
The gown.
The gloves
The pearls.
The enormous black hat.
The controlled posture.
There are photographs where she looks less like she's about to murder somebody and more like she owns the entire building behind her. Although, let's be fair...with Lady Dimitrescu, those two things aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. As the session continued, we gradually shifted the energy.
Elegant became unsettling.
Unsettling became intimidating.
And suddenly the beautiful woman in the white gown wasn't someone you'd necessarily want walking toward you down a dark hallway.
This is Why I Started Beyond the Ordinary
Sessions like this are exactly why I've been expanding into more creative portrait and cosplay photography. I love photographing families, seniors, couples, and weddings. But there's another part of photography that lets me ask:
What if we didn't have to stay in the real world:
What if your cosplay wasn't simply photographed....
What if we made it feel like a movie still?
What if your original character could actually exist somewhere?
What if we took the story, you've already created through your costume, makeup and performance-and used photography to push that story even further? That's what Beyond the Ordinary is becoming. And Lady Dimitrescu fits right into it.
The Cosplayer Behind Lady D
One of the things I've already learned from working with cosplayers is just how much goes into these characters before I ever pick up my camera. The photographer isn't creating the character from scratch. The cosplayer has already done that work.
They've researched.
Built or sourced costume pieces.
Styled wigs.
Created makeup.
Collected props.
Practiced expressions and movement.
And, often, they've developed a real emotional connection to the character they're portraying. My job is to recognize all of that and ask:
How can I photograph this in a way that does it justic?
Nyssa already knew Lady Dimitrescu. I simply got to build the world around her. And that's quickly becoming one of my favorite parts of this project.
From Salt Lake City to Castle Dimitrescu
No elaborate movie set.
No giant production crew.
No actual Romanian castle.
Just a cosplayer who knew her character, some incredible historic architecture, my camera, and a willingness to play. And somehow, for a little while in downtown Salt Lake City...
Lady Dimitrescu had arrived.
I'd say we should probably warn the locals. But judging by these photographs, I think it's already too late.
Want Your Character Photographed?
Beyond the Ordinary is my creative portrait series for cosplay, fantasy, original characters, alternative concepts, and anyone who wants photographs that feel a little less...ordinary. You put the work into becoming the character.
Let's give them a world to exist in.
- Utah Cosplay & Character Photographer
- Nichols and Dimes Photography
- Serving Salt Lake County, Utah County & Surrounding areas
Ready to step Beyond the Ordinary?
