A frame of mind

Here we have my latest behind-the-camera efforts showing my good friend Ellen (who I have known since I was three!) It was a completely spontaneous set of photos - no planning or forethought here! She had come round for a sociable catch up, and after poring over my Tim Walker book together, I had a real urge to do some photography. And lo-and-behold, I had just the willing model to use!
The only trouble was, I had no immediate idea what kind of photos or mood I wanted to create, or what I wanted to dress her in. Panic ensued, with me making her try on lots of different items while looking furtively at the light levels outside (it was already quite late in the afternoon) while also watching the clothes pile up on the floor. In the end inspiration struck after noticing an old frame propped up outside my room. Slowly the story started to materialise in my head...
Ellen would play the part of a traveller (inspired by 'As I walked out one Midsummer morning'), walking through the countryside with her only luggage being an antique frame. So that was the concept sorted - now for the outfit.
I remembered a number of underskirts stuffed away in our dressing up box and dug them out to layer on Ellen. I think she ended up wearing about seven in total... Plus a netting skirt. The top 'dress' was made from the biggest skirt, cinched by a belt my grandma wore in the seventies. This 'dress' (underskirt) was given to my mum by a Great-Aunt when she was a teenager. I feel it has more than a touch of Miss Havisham about it.
Then it was on with as many vintage necklaces as possible - sources ranging from charity shops to hand-me-downs from relatives.
We did her hair by backcombing it, pinning the ends underneath and using a lot of hairspray! (And I mean a lot.. Enough to ensnare any small bug that had the misfortune to land on her hair.) The silk scarf is from my collection inherited from my great-grandma.

So after all the frantic fuss getting ready, there was a wonderful calm in actually taking these pictures of my lovely, photogenic friend. It's funny how sometimes taking photos of someone makes you notice things in a different way - such as how blue her eyes are! She graciously agreed to do all shots barefoot - not very comfortable on a tarmac road, no matter how rural! As the light died away we ran about from location to location, trying to capture the feeling of a perfect day.

The first image here was made later by some judicious copying and pasting in Paint, but I've posted the original at the end too - I was trying to frame the road, which I thought fitted the storyline. I'm now hoping to use some of these photos for my latest art project at school.

Talking of school, I went back today. It's strange suddenly being thrown back into an everyday routine. However, as I've mentioned before, it might mean a more steady blogging rate! And I really do want to take the time now to reply to all your lovely comments - I feel so bad if I don't reply to people who've been kind enough to write their views or thoughts on my posts. So once I'm back in the swing of everyday order, I will try harder!

A frame of mind 2010-09-07T13:11:00-07:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: Unknown