The hugely popular HBO series may be over now but the obsession continues (and in full disclosure, I am only on Season 4, so I am still in the thick of it!).

When photographer Natalie Licini took this piercing portrait last year, she was indeed inspired by Game of Thrones but also had something specific in mind for this image—working on a personal project that goes beyond what she typically creates for clients.

“I find it so exciting to dream, design and execute a vision where I can make something outside my known brand look,” she explains. Like with this image. In late 2018, in preparation for another WPPI Print Competition, she asked her neighbor’s two sons to model a GOT-inspired shoot for her so she could then enter the images and hopefully win (she scored an 83 for this one, which garnered her a Silver award).

Licini often turns personal projects into award-winning imagery; read exactly how she accomplishes that here.

(Shot with a Sony A7R III and 85mm lens, and a Profoto B10 OCF flash head with a 5-foot Octabox.)

Check out more Photos of the Day, and email submissions to rangefinder@emeraldexpo.com.