A shot from my shoot I wasn't planning on taking. This is from behind my set up of ground sheets, throws, netting fairy lights and lanterns. I had accidently left a pot of flowers on the chair but I think it adds character to the picture to what would otherwise be quite a solitary image. It gives the feeling of being inside a cosy tent or a bedroom fort one would make as a child, but  a twist of nature added with grass and vines.

Boris Bendikov - Dreamming Doll

Bendikov did a project on a model styled as a doll, the props he used were all over sized to make it proportionate to make her seem smaller. I like the set up of the studio, using drapes; balloons; clothing racks and hung up outfits as well as other  things associated with dolls. 

In this photo the model is sat limp on a chair as if she had been placed there. I like how it is fantasy themed and surreal. The image is tied together with the same colours, sticking to girly pinks as dolls are thought to be a girly thing to have. There are also smoke machines being used which give the images the effect of being a dream or memory. 

In my project I plan to use a tent and drapes, nets and lanterns/different types of lighting to add the scenery of the garden.

I did a photo shoot at home using a net, fairy lights and star lanterns. Most of the pictures were lost somehow so I only have five to work with at the moment and am thinking of doing the whole shoot again, however, I've started playing around with the ones I have got on photoshop. I used the dodge tool to create brighter lights and experimented with different hues, colour curves and sliders to make the lighting white rather than orange, although this colour gives a warm glow to the picture.

Another holiday snap, using the bushes as a frame. However, the top branch was too low down and got in the way of the hill top so I tried to edit out parts of it using the clone stamp and healing brush. Is this cheating?

Quick holiday snap

I took this on holiday in Brixham, Devon, using Instagram

fairy lighting

Starting to like the idea of using fairy lights in my project.

I found this stunning picture of a tree lit up in the evening light by some fiary lights but sadly can't find the name of the photographer. I love how it lights up the reddish colour of the leaves leaving the rest of the picture in darker light. It makes the tree look like it's glowing from the inside.

For my shoot I might have a similar set up around a tree in the evening using similar lighting but with a tent as well. Maybe a tea party and camping theme.

Russian Dreams

This was a project done from 2003-2005 by Leonid Tishkov and Boris Bendikov who created their own 'private moon' which they took to different locations to shoot at night.

The pictures are extremely clear for low lighting so I assume they used a tripod to keep the picture from blurring and had a long shutter speed for more detail.

I like how they create a fantasy scene and the moon seems to be the main source of light, illuminating the picture. The photos they created look like screen captures of a story.

Tishkov's website showed this project along with the desciption:

'“Private Moon” is a visual poem, telling a story about a man who found the Moon and stayed with her for the rest of his life.

In the upper world, in the attic of his house, he saw the Moon which had fallen from the sky. At first she was hiding from the sun in a dark, damp tunnel and was constantly frightened by the passing trains. Then she came to the house of the man.

Wrapping the moon in a thick blanket, he gives her autumn apples and drinks tea with her. When she finally recovers he puts her on a boat and carries her across a dark river to a high bank, where moon pine-trees grow.

He descends to the lower world wearing the clothes of his deceased father and then returns, illuminating the way with his private moon.

Transcending the borders between worlds via narrow bridges, sinking into sleep, taking care of the heavenly body, man turns into a mythological being living in the real world like in a fantastic fairy-tale.'

Leonid Tishkov