So here’s the set of photos I was all excited about yesterday! The shoot was in part to take photos of the very real wolf fur cloak I’m wearing (and yes it is for sale right here!) However, I’ve also been wanting to do some shots with longsword guards, as well as test out how the new camera does with more long-distance background scenery. (And I wanted to do a “woman with sword” set that wasn’t just some scantily-clad chick posing with a sword and no idea how to use it.)
These shots were taken on a side trail at Catherine Creek in Washington, just on the other side of the Columbia River. The sword is the Tinker Pearce hand and a half sword, which is what I use for cutting drills. Clothing under the cloak is all random pieces from my personal wardrobe.
All but the last two shots are genuine medieval longsword guards (stances). I’m primarily trained in the German style, but the basic guards are fairly universal. The first two are “pflug”, or “plow”; the fourth is arguably a more tucked-in pflug, though I’ve seen more specialized terms for it in various systems. The third is “ochs”/”ox”, and the fifth is “alber”, or “fool’s guard”, since it can give the impression, since the sword is held seemingly casually, that the person isn’t actually trying to defend themselves. The last two are what I call “look epic for the camera” guards—about the only time the flat of your blade might be parallel to your face is in the middle of an odd cut, and certainly not like this. You want to use the flat of the blade to parry, and the edge to cut and wind, generally speaking.
