Jupiter, the planet of generosity, abundance, growth, higher ideals and trust.The first Social Planet, it represents good luck and prosperity, governs optimism, life improvement, and how gratitude is expressed. It also warns against blind optimism, naiveté, and overindulgence.
Ruler of Sagittarius and Pisces, it has its exaltation in Cancer, fall in Capricorn, detriment in Gemini and Virgo.
Its glyph represents the Greek letter ζ, the initial of Zeus, and its meaning is Soul transcending Matter.
Last autumn, when I published the previous Planet, I wrote that “I’ll surely be back in Trieste scouting for oak leaves for Jupiter in the spring”.
Well, it took me a little longer to come back, but one of the first non-strictly-logistical things I’ve been up to upon returning was, in fact, setting up the fourth entry of my Wandering Stars project. It’s just… better not put time stamps on these things, I guess?
Anyway, this is another of those early bird ideas that I’d had when plans for a series were still in the earliest sage: I remember casting Jupiter as far back as 2018, with my friend Mark Turtoo agreeing as soon as I asked, and me calling a raincheck on that while I decided how to go about the project as a whole. I mean, look at him: Jupiter is traditionally represented as a handsome, bearded but still youthful man, and Mark fits the archetype to a T.
Not only that, but Mark is also hands down one of the best photographers I’ve ever had the luck to meet. His personal work is just beyond-words amazing and you should check it out if you haven’t already; also, his approach is obviously serious and professional: if he says he’s down for the project, he’s a guarantee. So when I returned to Trieste, he himself remembered we had this thing on hold, and when I dusted it off the shelf we were ready to shoot within a week or so. As easy as that. Even though so far this project has been met with the utmost support and enthusiasm by all the models I chose, it’s still a great reminder that the famous incident that shook my confidence a few years ago was just that: an incident, a one-off thing.
In pre-production, each photo from this project so far has presented me with a different challenge, mostly because, as someone once said, I’m too ambitious for my non-existent budget. Venus had the Margaery hairdo, Mercury the backlit wings, and Saturn the scythe.
Jupiter’s challenge was the oak leave wreath: I’m not as familiar with the flora in Trieste as I am in Alghero, and I really had no idea where oaks grew here, if they did at all. Luckily, Trieste has a handy online guide for all its parks, which not only informs on what service they provide, but also lists what species of trees grow there. After a first unsuccessful attempt near my place (there were ilexes instead of common oak), attempt number two was a success: not only did the park have oaks, but the entire hill was covered in them, so I could forage to my heart’s content! The reason why I chose that specific park was its relatively modest size, which would make finding a certain species of tree easier than having to explore an entire hill, and my intuition paid off so well I didn’t even have to search.
Also, given the choice I opted for downy oak rather than common oak because the leaves are equally lobed into that distinctive shape, but smaller and thus better fit for a crown.
Why was I so adamant about oak leaves? Because they’re a symbol of Zeus / Jupiter, of course! I didn’t really want to overdo the editing with fake lightning or stuff like that, and a nice crown of oak leaves was the best option to convey Jupiter’s symbolism, kingly attire and mythological theme.
As I mentioned in Saturn’s entry, I had decided to style both him and Jupiter in formal-like attire to convey the adultness that both planets bring about in one’s birth chart. As Saturn got the turtleneck and light blazer, Jupiter got the dress shirt instead, black like the jacket instead of white because Mark favours total black and I respect that.
Another styling change I made last minute was the pocket, as I initially considered having a red pocket square to reference the Great Red Spot, but ultimately decided against it because it would be a bit random, opting for more oak leaves instead to tie the outfit together with the wreath.
If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen from my stories that the shoot itself had a few hiccups. Aside from a brief struggle to find a suitable location that faced west, had a relatively clear background, and hadn’t been closed off recently unbeknownst to us, once we found it (the same spot as the very first shoot I did when I moved to Trieste, imagine that) we got some unexpected cloud coverage that killed the light and slowed us down. Thankfully, Mark is a real professional and, therefore, knows photographers have no power over weather, so we just chilled and waited for an opening to resume the shoot and get that golden backlight I needed.
Then again, we’d moved well in advance so we could reach the location and style him with no rush, so there was still plenty of time before sunset. It worked for the best anyway, because that gave the Sun some time to get lower, which allowed me to shoot from a more favourable perspective while having the flare right behind Mark’s head.
On a side note, even though I have now access to my lighting equipment, I’ve decided I’ll keep working with natural light because, while more difficult, I’ve just fallen in love with the natural effect and golden hue it gives, so I’ll just keep pursuing these aesthetics.
As Jupiter’s trademark item was headgear and not something to hold, I struggled a bit to come up with a suitable posed, but eventually decided to have him reach out with his hand, in a gesture that could either be him granting good fortune to the viewer, or inviting them to trust him and join in on his bountiful gifts. Needless to say, Mark just nailed it after a couple of warm up shoots.
Postproduction-wise, green is once again a reference to Sailor Moon, being Sailor Jupiter’s signature colour. Unlike Saturn, where I kept some of the originally background for texture as an afterthought, here I deliberately went and shot some tree foliage separately to add afterwards and fill up the background.
Also, this is the only time so far when the halo gave me a bit of a headache, as I didn’t want it to distract from the existing head gear. I decided to make a very subtle, planetary ring-like one to reference Jupiter’s faint, elusive dust ring.
One thing of note is that I approached this specific photo with a much more optimistic, relaxed attitude than I usually have when doing something from any of my long-term projects. I’m not sure if that’s because I’m so overstressed in general that I just can’t bother, or because working with a professional is a guarantee… or maybe because Jupiter is the planet of optimism and luck and it brightened up its own photo. If that’s the case, Pluto, please have mercy!
At this point, four photos in I can say the project has found its footing and aesthetics. Jupiter is perhaps the idea that changed the most from inception to completion, because I distinctly remember envisioning Mark against a velvety dark green background with side lighting, not unlike Undo Your Mind, while the final work has this airy, light, ethereal quality to it.
In the end, while changing the light conditions to reflect the relative position of the planet compared to the Earth and Sun had merit, I’m glad I decided to go fully backlit because it starts from a general premise that’s very similar to the Infernal Lords – a series of archetypes rooted in occult traditions, but given a modern spin, each with its signature colour – but takes it in a completely different direction visually.
It’s rare that I’m so satisfied with my works, both on their own and compared to what I did before, but the more I look at these four photos so far, the more I can’t wait for the next tone to be done.
