r/medieval

Five years ago, I decided to photograph an entire Tarot deck (78 cards) using a medium-format film camera.

Only real historical costumes, weapons, and jewelry. Only analog film. No digital manipulation, no compositing, no Photoshop.

That’s how the Amber Tarot project was born.We started looking for historical reenactment groups and reenactors who could help us bring these scenes to life.

Two reconstructed medieval villages, representing the 13th–14th centuries, joined the project and helped us recreate the atmosphere of the Tarot while making the weapons, clothing, and historical details feel as authentic as possible.The Five, Six, and Seven of Swords cards were actually photographed in a reconstructed medieval village, featuring its modern-day “inhabitants”.

And for the cards that were impossible to photograph in real locations, we built our own practical sets.For example, The Tower was a massive, several-meter-tall structure built from wood and foam, with real stunt performers jumping in front of it.

Everything you see in the cards was physically there, in front of the camera.

What do you think of a project like this?

This is my first time drawing a large battle scene, I hope it turned out well :3

For any interested scholars:
We are delighted to open our Call for Papers for the 2027 Háskóli Íslands Student Conference on the Medieval North. The conference shall be held from April 19-21, 2027 in the Edda auditorium at Háskóli Íslands and online.

This conference is an interdisciplinary forum for postgraduate applicants at the master's and doctoral level and for early career researchers working in the field of medieval northern studies, e.g. postdoctoral fellows. Independent academics are also welcome to apply.

Applicants who have not presented papers at an academic conference before are especially encouraged to submit.

Our theme this year is "Between Worlds."

Interested scholars should submit an Outlook form with personal details (name, email, institution, etc.) and an abstract of 250-300 words by November 1st, 2026. Additionally, please indicate whether you intend to attend the conference online or in person. Submissions will be reviewed anonymously by a panel of specialists (PhD candidates and higher level). This selection committee reserves the right to make selections based on the quality of written abstracts, adherence to submission guidelines, and timely submission. For more information on the submission guidelines see our website: https://histudentconference.wordpress.com/. 

The conference is held in both Icelandic and English. Individual paper presentations will be 20 minutes in length followed by 10 minutes for discussion. In addition to presentations, poster sessions will be available for applicants to present their material in poster form. Applicants may apply for either a paper or a poster. The selection committee may offer a poster presentation to some paper applicants. Please direct any further inquiries to the conference committee via email: conference-mn2027@hi.is. 

After the conclusion of the conference, presenters will have the opportunity to submit their papers to the conference proceedings volume, which will be published as an e-book in the autumn of 2027.