Monthly Reflection: May

Another month we can safely say is ticked off and completed (for the most part.) Now I will say that that is a low key sad way to see things, but right now. Life just seems like a countdown, safely saying we’ve done another day, one day at a time.


I didn’t create as much as I have been, but I have been conceptualising a lot more than normal.


I was accepted into a group mentoring group with one of my all time favourite photographers/people Brooke Shaden. We are discussing all kinds of topics, its been such joy to meet so many wonderful creatives through it, and talk openly about my struggles in my work. Brooke’s honest critiques of my work have helped me see how others see my work, and what I can do to excel to being the creative I want to be.


I have started crafting deeper concepts and new ways of capturing said ideas. Some of which involve my loved ones, mixed media, and different editing techniques that I think will excel my style. I have learned that my ideal words to define my work include:


“delicacy, fragility and vulnerability”:


I have loved creating softer images that juxtapose strength with vulnerability, so I hope to embrace this more now, creating a cohesive style with more of a purpose!


So lets dive into some of the shoots I have done this month, and see what I’ve been up to!…


The Unlocking of Life’s Doors. ♥️🗝


“When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.”-
Alexander Graham Bell 🚪


I did another #InstagramChoosesMyShoot (a series I am slowly separating from at the moment) and let my followers choose some elements that went into a shoot of mine. This time, I found people were more interested in seeing a heavily extravagant conceptual piece. So I did just that!


I had an idea for the longest time to shoot with this beautiful old door, one I visited with my partner. Its beautiful! So at the time, I took loads of stock images of it as inspiration, I found that I didnt want to shoot the door like everyone else would (model in front of it, looking off into the distance all majestic and cool) which don’t get me wrong, is like all my photos! But I wanted to see how I could take it into a different world, and to a different level. 


I created a similar photo to this a couple years ago, and I thought this would be a nice extension of that, to see how far I’ve come- technically and emotionally.


Vase.


This shoot didn’t work, but I am glad I tried it.


I bought a cracked effect vase from work, with the intent of using it for a shoot! I love the vase, and I know it’ll come in great use for flowers too! (its main purpose!) I also shot with this vase for a client/friends shoot I did recently that you’ll soon see…


I filled the vase with water, and lay against it. I thought the cracked texture might create something magical, I think this could work, but is something I need to play around with some more. 


I thought I’d share this here even though it didn’t work, as not all of my shoots work, or come out like I had hoped. They’re always good learning curves! 

Art Project, Doll photography.


A dear friend of mine recently got in touch with me, with the proposal of taking some professional photos of a doll she had made, not only did she make the doll- she made 3 outfits, wigs, pairs of shoes and accessories to go with each look! 


It was so beautifully made and I feel so proud of how her hard work has paid off! I decided to treat this like an editorial I would do in real life with a model.


I styled each look as my friend (Pornthip) would like them and from there, I came up with a concept/set up for each one. The clock that she lays on is from a friend of mine, and I thought this would be a sort of nod to Alice in Wonderland, the next is using the vase I had mentioned before! I thought this was a really special one, as I felt everything actually really worked together! I did a set up outside for some variety, which I feel looks so realistic, and the last was a simple set of capturing all the details of the doll itself. 


It was so much fun to work with styling, and model work again. I mean, if you can’t shoot models, this is the next best thing!


‘collarbone’ | ‘topsy-turvy’ | ‘an awakening of sorts.’


This little triptych was my first series, created inspired by what I had learned from my Brooke Shaden mentoring group I had mentioned earlier. I wanted to create a set of self portraits that share little pieces of myself.


The first is about the time I had dislocated my collarbone when I was younger, falling out of bed! I wanted to capture this moment, as when I think of fragility, a visual that comes into my mind is broken bones! (Sinister I know!) I haven’t really talked about this in my photography, but its something I want to start introducing into my work: moments in my life that I think have helped pave the way for me.


The second photo: ‘topsy-turvy’ is my light-hearted take on my emotional state at the moment, where life seems upside down. I’ve always wanted to do a shoot where I flipped the perspective and played on the standard view of a portrait.


The last photo is an outtake of the adjacent one, but is one that makes me feel good- its peaceful, it captures the best version of myself and was fun to create! I feel it ties this series nicely together. Also I love how the edit has brought out the veins on my chest!


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To conclude on this month, its been one of self-contemplation. It’s been a time of allowing myself the time to think. I’ve really been able to consider where I am, without having to try to come up with something, learn and try again- repeating that process till I get somewhere. Instead, I have written it down, sat with those feelings, and contemplated how I will best put that across. I’ve done this in a way that benefits me personally, and is the best version of my style and artistry. Not because its trendy or helps me to fit in somewhere, but because something in me stirs at the thought of it…


I will be hopefully be creating a lot more next month, building some new series I am working on (I can count on one hand how many intentional series I have actually made in about 6 or more years of creating.) So I know that to get to where I need to be, I need to plan a whole series, from start to finish. They’ll be series that connect on a whole new level with myself, my loved ones *which is really important to me* and my incredibly supportive followers who see who I am truly through the difficulties I’ve been through. <3

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