Chimera Creatrix Studios is a photography studio specializing in creating images, from concept to completion, that merge the mythical with the present.

In a world of artificially generated images, they prioritize practical effects. Every object in their photos is physically there. Their academic backgrounds in literature and religion are creative springboards.

Saurval started learning photography largely from scratch. His goals are to learn to communicate visually, as it essentially a second language and to merge his love of fantastical images with photography. His current focus is learning to shape a scene with light. He has never used Photoshop.

Maris Corde started modelling in the early 2000s. She has done runway work as well as figure modelling. She has always been drawn to photoshoots that tell a story. Around 2016, Maris decided she wanted more creative control, and the seeds of Chimera Creatrix were planted. The studio was launched in 2019.

Why ‘chimera’? The chimera is a good representation of how Maris approaches things. While she has an artistic temperament, she’s also still a logic-driven creature. Maris is drawn to creatures who are hybrids of all sorts! The chimera is also an analogy of the working relationship between Maris and Saurval; he’s the alchemist – he wants the ritual and the process – while she’s the impulsive intuitive…