“Skulls & Snakes” is a pictorial photographed by Edwin Kiddo Soriano, including model, Jessi Lou Floyed. Created in Galveston, TX, this work initially appeared in Issue #38 Vol. 2 our July 2016 issue themed with Phobias & Superstitions.
Skulls & Snakes
Inspired by the Ophidiophobia, the fear of snakes and the many superstitions surrounding snakes such as that they can hypnotize their prey.
Featuring Model Jessi Lou Floyed
http://facebook.com/jessilouhoo
Photography, Set Design & Styling by Edwin Kiddo Soriano
http://kiddo.format.com
http://facebook.com/edwin.soriano.623
http://instagram.com/kiddosoriano
Makeup by Hannah Pillar
Snakes by 361 Exotic Reptiles
Created in Galveston, TX
Edwin Kiddo Soriano is an artist and painter who has branched into photography. He is self-taught and very hands-on with his creative shoots, often styling and creating the makeup looks as well.
Gothesque Magazine: Do you suffer at all from any of the top 10 phobias (Arachnophobia, Ophidiophobia, Acrophobia, Agoraphobia, Cynophobia, Astraphobia, Claustrophobia, Mysophobia, Aerophobia & Trypophobia)?
Edwin Kiddo Soriano: Among the top ten list, it would be ophidiophobia or fear of snakes. I grew up in a little farming village in the Philippines where we were always warned of snakes, and where I personally encountered snakes under tree stumps, climbing up a twig, or coiled in a corner in our bathroom. The worst memory was when I was chopping some wood in our yard and I tried to flip this big, old stump and underneath it was a big momma snake hissing with her babies all over. I just dropped the stump and ran as fast as I could. In our neighborhood back then, if someone kills a snake, especially a big one, he would parade around along with snake hanging lifeless at the end of a bamboo pole. He would then scare the kids with it, and of course, I’d be one of the kids running away.
Gothesque Magazine: Is there anything you were afraid of as a child that you no longer fear? And vice versa?
Edwin Kiddo Soriano: When I did a fantasy tribal photoshoot last April of this year, I incorporated snakes or boas as props for the models. Half of them have the same phobia like I do, but I felt compelled to overcome my fear by handling one of them, and at the end of the shoot, we all overcame our fear of snakes.
Gothesque Magazine: Is there a superstition that your parents tried to instill in you, but to you was just too silly?
Edwin Kiddo Soriano: The Philippines is just too full of superstitious beliefs being influenced by natives, Spanish, and Chinese cultures. One of the happiest memories I have as a kid, along with my two sisters was jumping up and down at the strike of 12 on New Year’s Eve. Our mom would wake us up and make us jump half-asleep and half-awake, believing that these midnight aerobics would help make us grow taller. It may have worked because I am nearly six-foot-tall, unusual for most Filipinos.
Gothesque Magazine: Are you superstitious? Are there any superstitions you partake in, such as breaking the wishbone or picking up a penny for good luck?
Edwin Kiddo Soriano: I have reservations for others and respect for some. One of these is the fear of the unseen. Some things you shouldn’t do back home in my native country is not to dump hot water around, no sweeping at dark or in the dark for fear of causing harm to the unseen, etc. You do not eat or drink without throwing a piece to the unseen, either. You should utter a few words when passing through unfamiliar places. All these acts when contradicted either intentionally or not, the unseen will inflict some physical harm and punishment like rashes, fever or worse such as boils. I have witnessed and experienced some of these and made well without medical intervention after some prayerful contrition with a candle and coconut oil left in the dark. This act terrified me more as a kid than the snakes because you have that feeling of being watched in the darkness.
Gothesque Magazine: How did you decide upon the chosen phobia/superstition in this content? What made you feel it would translate well as an editorial?
Edwin Kiddo Soriano: I chose the snakes and the spider phobias not so much because of my own but because they were the models’ phobias.
Gothesque Magazine: Are you yourself afraid of snakes?
Edwin Kiddo Soriano: I understand my fear now. It is more fear of having the snake coil around my neck and potentially chokes me to death. But I am not afraid of touching them or having them on my arms now.
