mina murray harker, the immortal

Having been intrigued by all things immortal, vampire and underworld for as long as I can remember, and Mina Murray's name coming up through the decades in many tales associated with it, it was only a matter of time before this interesting character had her own visual story to tell.

Mina Murray, a scientist and accomplished chemist, is a central character in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel "Dracula", along with her doomed husband Johnathan Harker. She is portrayed as a strong, intelligent woman who becomes a victim of Count Dracula. She is portrayed by Winona Ryder in the 1992 movie Bram Stoker's Dracula as well as by Peta Wilson in the fantastic 2003 movie League of Extraordinary Gentleman.

For this creative portrait session, I styled my model Jordan in 18th century wardrobe looks, edited the photos to also look like photography at that time (tin type, wet plate and daguerreotype) and rather than adding the stereotypical vampire fangs or blood drops, I chose to convey the melancholy, darker side of Mina simply with expression, lighting and mood. Story has it that Dracula fancied and adored Mina, and she enchanted him, which is why he killed her husband and turned her, but did not kill her and instead he trapped her forever in immortality.

All photos © Carrie Hampton Photography

Model: Jordan Rae

Jewelry: Madonna Enchanted