Sanctum of Horror 2026
For the last couple of years I’ve been invited out by a fellow photographer to shoot at a local haunted house. Each year, around the end of September/beginning of October, he would gather together a few photographers and a few models, and set us loose inside the attraction for a few hours. Like most events, it’s a fast and furious photo session, as we try to shoot with as many different models as possible in as many different areas of the haunted house as we can get to.
The event is an absolute blast, and there are always some awesome shots that come out of it. Check out the Gallery from this Year’s shoot!
Super into those shots and want to see more Check out 2025 and/or even take it back to 2024!
The first year I attended this event it was a bit of a shock to the system. I’d done events before, but I was still relatively new at portrait photography. I was certainly no stranger to cosplay and spooky settings, but being inside an empty haunted house might actually be scarier than one that is actually in operation. Even when it’s an outdoor haunted house and it’s the middle of the day. Scouting out spots on your own in the eerie quiet is definitely a bit unnerving. It’s also a guaranteed jump scare when you run into another photographer that appears out of no-where around a corner in what you thought was an otherwise empty room.
Once things kick off, everything starts to normalize. Like with most events, I always find myself trying to balance quantity with quality. It’s only natural to try and work with as many people as possible and try as many different things as you can. Time ticks away quickly though, and I never seem to get the chance to work with everyone I want to, but I always do what I can.
This year I found myself struggling more than usual. Right out of the gate, I could not seem to get the images I had in my head translated to the camera. I finally got into a rythm, but I’m not sure if it was the rough start, the heat (because God forbid we have actual Fall temps in Arizona), or just a complete mental block, but I felt like I couldn’t get my act together. I also may not have done myself any favors by putting the added pressure of wanting to shoot a short film. Photography and videography are similar, but also very different. While video should be second nature to me at this point, I was ill prepared to do anything of substance and I know I completely threw myself off. I was the embodyment of ‘you are doing too much.’ Needless to say it didn’t work out.
I was very grateful that all the models I worked with were very patient and kind. Despite all my setbacks, by the end of it, I think we still came away with some great shots.