Forest Fae I

𝘝𝘶𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨; 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦. 𝘝𝘶𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴; 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦. - Brené Brown

I've shot self-portraits before. But I've never attempted character portraits with me as the subject. I guess 2020 has forced us all to step out of our comfort zones and try new things. Desperate times call for desperate measures they say. So, not being able to work with models due to Covid-measures, I’ve decided it's time to put myself in front of the camera again.

To be honest, I really don't feel comfortable in front of the lens. As a photographer, I like being on the other end of the device. But, inspired by my dear friend who shared an encouraging post about how all courageous acts require for us to be vulnerable, I thought I'll have a go with being brave and try something I've not done before. So I grabbed a €12 dress, modified the sleeves, added a cheap wig and decor, put on my fab antlers, et voilá. I'm actually quite content with the result, even if it took me 200+ frames.

I took the photo in our tiny living room (had to move around furniture to make space) with a single speed light and a 85mm sigma lens. Nothing fancy really. Edited in Lr and Ps.

Lesson learned: I guess our creativity can be inspired by a great many things around us, quotes, encouraging comments from friends, and perhaps even by an otherwise devastating pandemic.

Photo|Edit|Concept|Make-up|Styling: @hajnalkaberen.photo