Pit of Despair

Pit of Despair

"For happiness one needs security, but joy can spring like a flower even from the cliffs of despair". Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Almost all my images are composites in one way or another. I find it helps expand my creativity to be able to piece things together to create the world, location, or character I saw in my vision without limitations of having to always find the perfect place, at the perfect time. But I use to only photograph myself in actual locations, never compositing myself into a setting. If you saw me in a field, I was always actually in that field. I felt it was more authentic and I liked the challenge of finding locations that could work for that. However, it did become limiting to whatever was around me. I also could only shoot on days where I could go out to that field, wall, forest, etc or if the weather was perfect. It's still something I do more often than not, especially if possible, but I don't limit myself to it anymore.  

The image below is three images pieced together to create the overall art. One is myself, another is the flowers and the third is the cement "pit". Which is actually not a pit either. :)

Scroll past the image for more.

First, here is the photo of the flowers. This was the first image I took. I saw these little flowers outside of a restaurant and didn't know what I was going to use them for, but took lots of angles and put them aside.  I ended up using this frame because it had a blank spot I figured I could add myself to.

Then I took the photo of myself sitting on a stool. I made sure the camera was directly in front of me so it would appear as if also above me. And yup, just hung (badly) a piece of grey fabric over a shelf in my bedroom. Nothing fancy. And no I'm not naked lol

Then I put myself into the flowers, which was my final image for awhile:

Last, I took this shot while out at an old Fort. This was along a wall. But I centered myself on it so it could seem as I was looking down into it. 

Then I placed the flower shot with me into this cement box.

Sure there was lots of other editing. I made flowers larger. I had to blend flowers into the cement. But this gives you an idea of how an image like this is possible and how I put it together.