Blood Pool Photoset 2024

OUR BLOOD POOL PHOTOSET IN TORONTO IS OPEN FOR BOOKING!

Since 2021, we’ve been collaborating with local artists, photographers and models to create spooky visual art for the Halloween season! This year, our Blood Pool is running all month with different water levels, props, and set pieces. You can get creepy in a waterless environment, a shallow basin, or a deeper pool. All setpieces can be moved. We welcome all photographers and models regardless of experience level!

Featuring:

• Over 100 “Corpsed” bones and skulls
• A removable jail cell with opening door and positionable walls
• Over 100ft of chain with manacles and meat hooks
• Rusted wall panels
• Tattered canvas drapes
• Slaughterhouse buckets
• A wooden bolster
• Fake candles/lanterns
• Various small props
• A load-bearing scaffolding system that you can suspend your own props from
• A basin you can get messy in
• A basin you can do easy top-downs and reflections in
• A pool you can sink yourself into

NEW this Year:

• Over 50 grasping hands reaching up and in! These are clustered in small groups and can be moved around and repositioned as desired.
• Our Portal to Hell! This is a 6” tall platform with a clear, double-layered polycarbonate top. It can be illuminated from below. We have some basic submersible lights to go with it but photographers are advised to bring their own submersible lights if you’re looking for something more specific or powerful. Can support up to 350lbs. NO jumping!

Blood Pool is booking through the entire month of October, 1st to 31st! This year it’s going to appear in three stages:

Blood Pool Stage 01: Dry Set
(Oct 01 - 07)

Jump in with both feet without actually getting wet. This is our usual set without the water! Ideal for costumes that can’t be submerged, or models uncomfortable with getting cold and wet. The floor is a black tarp, with all props available.

Blood Pool Stage 02: Drag Me to Hell
(Oct 08 - 24)

Our shallow basin from last year. This 10x10 ft basin has about 6” of “blood”, makes top-down shots easy on models, and beginner friendly to all. Our new fleet of hands is designed for use with this one!

Blood Pool Stage 03: Drowned in Blood
(Oct 25 - 31)

Oh, we’re in deep trouble now! This is the original pool from 2021. This is ideal for anyone interested in a fuller submerge, as the water is about 14” inches deep. This pool allows “swimmers” to sink much deeper into the cold water, whether laying, kneeling or crawling.

Not sure if you want a shallow pool or a deeper pool? Click HERE to jump to our table with some differences and tips so you can decide which is best for you.

Below is a preview of the current setup, as well as photos from previous years. Remember to bring your own lighting equipment!

BASIC INFO

Our space is primarily a prop and costume workshop, not a dedicated photography set-up. We set up the pool on various dates for cosplayers and photographers to use. As such, bookings between 9am and 5pm can expect to have some activity around the shop as we continue our regular work! Evening and weekends are generally a lot more quiet, but someone will always be on-site.

Use of the space costs $90/hr, cash only. You can split this cost between people and share the space, but please remember it's not a huge space so parties are comfortably 6 people or less.

If you’re a photographer booking multiple people in your window, please try to stagger your models’ arrival. Booking is done through Google Calendar, but you can contact us if you have questions first. You'll find the booking link at the bottom of this page!

Booking is open to both photographers and cosplayers. We are open to photographers of all skill levels, even if you just want to take phone photos! If you are a cosplayer and you're looking for a photographer, our in-house collaborators are Paul Hillier/Kameraninja and Julia Greco/Heavenly Visuals.

• Kameraninja: Booking Information
• Heavenly Visuals: Booking Information

If you'd like to be a photographer for this shoot and book a large block of time, please get in touch.

Our address is: 10 Canvarco Rd, unit 53E East York, Ontario M4G 1L3
If you get lost on Canvarco, just give us a call (number provided upon booking) and we'll pop out and give you a hand. We are also on Google Maps as "Dangerous Ladies!" We're in the driveway on the left after the Good Bones antique shop. You can park on Canvarco or in front of our shop, space permitting.

What to Expect in the Studio

• A mostly private environment: no windows, and the set is behind a large garage door that will remain closed. However, Dangerous Ladies is a working studio and our employees will be around. We’ll stay out of your way, but we’ll be on hand for safety and questions.
• Amenities include a small bathroom, table space, chairs, extension cords, stepstools fans (note: no air conditioning), street parking, and Wi-Fi.
• The set-up and maintenance of the backdrop and props.
• An adult content-friendly space for posed nudes, lewd content, and kink imagery (no bodily fluids allowed). Please email for clarifications.
• A suspension-friendly space! Our scaffolding is real construction scaffolding. (Gear not provided.)
• First-aid kit
• Water dispenser
• Moveable catwalks so photographers can get above the set

What You Need to Bring

• Towels
• Your own snacks and drinks
• Props, accessories, costumes, etc.
• A bag for wet items
• Footwear: sandals, flip flops, or slippers (the studio is a shop environment, so please exercise caution).
• Your own photography and lighting equipment

Rules and Safety Info

• Beware of heels and sharp props. If you damage the pool, you are financially liable.
• Please put trash and recycling in the appropriate bins.
• No body paint unless prearranged; paint cannot be submerged.
• Our pool is pigmented with Party Pool, a substance formulated specifically for dyeing swimming pools. It is body safe! It will not stain polyesters or synthetic materials, but natural fibers are a little unpredictable. For the most part the dye will wash out of natural fibers (sometimes leaving a very tiny pink tinge). Use your best judgment when deciding what to wear in the pool-- we're not responsible for damaged costumes or property! We do have a laundry sink if you want to rinse your costume immediately.
• We do not provide fake blood. We often have some on hand that previous guests have donated, but can not promise it meets any specific quality you might want from yours. (Safe to put in mouth, doesn’t stain things, etc.) If in doubt, bring your own!
• The pool is not heated and is often pretty cool; please prepare if you're sensitive to cold.
• The water is not chlorinated or treated, but is changed out every 3-4 days. (Approx 8-10 hours of shooting.)
• No electronics in the water. Some permitted held above water, but no toaster-in-bathtub style risks, please.
• Dangerous Ladies Studio is a working shop; photographers and models are not allowed to interfere with machinery or workspace.
• The studio will not be left unattended by Dangerous Ladies; someone from the team will be there to mind the space and make sure nothing goes haywire. We won't hover, we’ll be doing our own thing, but if you need a 100% closed set, we may not be the place for you!
• You are financially responsible for anything you damage, whether that’s our set, props, equipment or materials, or your own possessions you bring into the space. Remember, cameras have neck straps for a reason!
• We are not responsible for any injuries.
• You are not permitted to die in here.

Join us for this unforgettable Halloween photo experience at Blood Pool 2024! Book your session today and let your creativity run wild in this terrifyingly immersive setting!

 

	Shallow Pool	Deep Pool
Depth	4-6”	10-16”
Temperature	Cold	Very Cold
Kneeling, Sitting	Most of body out of water	Need to sit on box to lift above waist/chest
Chest Deep	No	Yes
Top Down	Most of body visible, hair visible, waterlogged props semi-visible. Hair/wig fiber tends to sink, as do smaller items that get waterlogged, so the shallower water keeps those things more visible without an assistant having to reset the position of those things for every shot.	Can sink body in, hair sinks, waterlogged props sink completely out of view. Assistants required to arrange every shot.
Full Body Shots from Top Down	Yes	Yes for short people, knee up possible for rest. Lots of cloning in editing process to remove pool edge.
“Drowning”/Full Submerge	No	Yes, both from above and from water level.
Difficulty for posing	Easy on model. Model can mostly self-pose and arrange, but an assistant may be beneficial.	Very strenuous on model, assistants in pool required. Body needs to be propped up on bins/buckets; almost no one can pose while trying to float on the surface.
Reflections	Easier	Harder
Shooting area	Roughly 9’x9’ feet square with backdrops and props included, 10’x10’ completely empty. Can shoot from a few angles relatively easily.	10’ round, with back of circle lost to background. Narrower background limits angles you can shoot from.
Jail cell	Yes	Yes, but difficult because of space constraints
Hands	Yes	A few of the tallest ones will work but most will just be obscured by the water.
Chains	Yes	Yes
Bones	Yes	Yes, tends to look more densely populated.
Fog Machine Use	Yes	Yes
Portal	Yes	No
Edges	8” tall boards, largely invisible in photos.	Round and raised/inflated about 16” off the ground; must be draped with black fabric to hide edge.