the carnival of venice in italy was first recorded in 1268. the word carnival comes from the latin for "farewell, meat!". as Lent (which begins on Ash Wednesday) forced people to fast, the period leading up to Ash Wednesday forced people to use up all their meat, butter and eggs. this religious formality became the excuse for a big party! the masks were what made the venetian carnival unique. if you cannot identify the wearer of the mask, you do not know his social status. in this way, venice temporarily overturned her social order and allowed all her citizens to partake in all of the celebration regardless of their social standing.

these are the roots of our modern day margi gras.

here at photography by Drake, we have collected an array of gorgeous masks hand made in italy for our new artist's portfolio, Galleria Carnival! we are asking all of our clients to help us in creating this portfolio by allowing us 20 minutes at the end of your session to get dressed up and don the mask of your choice.

your image will only be known to you as you will choose a card from our special deck, and your image will forevermore only be referred to as the king of spades, or the two of clubs.

please have a look at our galleria carnival and we hope you enjoy it. eccellente!