Before and After
Beginning Pose and Final Scene
You think my final scenes are weird and wild? I have so many photos like the one above, showing me capturing a pose for compositing into a scene I’m creating. This was back during the pandemic. I was down in my basement studio flirting with a recipe for disaster. I wanted to look like something was holding me in the air by my shirt. I used a hanger to hold up the shirt, and a remote in my right hand to click the shutter.
As I look at this final product, I realize how much I’ve learned in the past six years in Photoshop and how much better that software is now. I could easily remove the tip of the sink on the left as well as that basket. I now want to add faint reflections in the tile of the big hand and my little self to make it look more realistic.
Wearing my mother of the groom dress and holding up the bedroom lamp, I draped a bedsheet around me which was held up by the banister. I couldn’t get it to stay nicely draped. The remote for the camera is in my left hand, operated by my thumb. I was scrunching my toes because I was afraid of losing my balance and falling down the stairs and crashing into the camera and tripod. It was another recipe for disaster!
I Photoshopped the bedsheet to flow down to the pedestal. I hid my scrunched toes with my dress. The dramatic clouds and moon in the sky were from a photograph I took while out walking in Wisconsin, or maybe in my backyard? The flame on the torch is from flames in our fireplace.
Oh, you recognize the dress? Yes, thanks to photography I’ve been able to wear that dress at least three times! This pose was an attempt to look like a spy. I found that nasty looking roast injector at a vintage store. Since this scene was going to be approximately WWII era, I wanted to shorten the dress. I hiked it above my knees and got a separate pose of my legs. A little Photoshopping took that band-aid off my calf.
The background of this shot was taken at the Jazz Estate vintage bar in Milwaukee with my husband sitting at the bar in his suit and hat from our daughter’s wedding. Apparently, weddings are the only time we dress up! He does not smoke so I put a rolled-up piece of paper in his hand and added incense smoke later. The skull, wig and hat were different shots that I composited on to me.
The photograph of Headless Me hanging various heads of mine on a clothesline got a lot of attention! For the shoot, I hung heavy shoes on the line to simulate how the clothesline would look with heads hanging on it. I posed with wet hair loose or in braids, and different expressions. Thankfully my husband was willing to help so I didn’t get stuck out there! I also laid down with my head in the laundry basket different ways and packed the inside with a black jacket so the sun didn’t shine through.
I perched on the stand of a drafting table, box fan propped on a footstool blowing my hair, wearing fun socks and tennis shoes with Zentangle designs drawn on them by me a few years prior. I was aiming to create a typical pharmaceutical ad of two people of a certain age riding an exercise bicycle together through the countryside.
I had a good start with the costume and a library book for the Tooth Fairy. The skirt, wig, wand and crown were borrowed from friends. I bought the wings because making them myself was not happening! It turned out that some of the best details were added in post-production such as a jar of teeth, a jar of quarters, more library books, a tooth-shaped coffee mug, an official Tooth Fairy diploma for Dentella Floss, and dental office wallpaper. And yes, Dentella has Blue Tooth.
You are amazing, Cindy!!
I love seeing the workings of your mind!