Creating stories, intensity, characters. I'm just in love.

before-after. model Katherine Stapleton
the original image encapsulated all the emotions I was aiming for. The only thing lacking was the roughness, and texture. I wanted it to seem like she's returned from some sort of battle, still standing. The details in her skin come to surface, and there is a very dark, ethereal quality in her eyes. 

 what lies beneath the surface of a dark art photograph...

I remember sitting in Brooke Shaden's workshop, thinking of an answer to a certain question she asked us, which was "What would you like to be different about your photography?" or something along the lines of that. I couldn't really think of something I wanted to change. Sure, there were loads of things that I wanted to learn, but nothing that I didn't like about what I was creating at present. I answered with "The only thing I want different, is for people to stop perceiving the darkness in my images as negative. Or perceiving my art as negative, because it is dark. "
There's more to darkness than discomfort. Easily every dark artist you come across will tell you that. In fact, if you *really* look into most of my pictures, you won't feel uncomfortable at all. You'll see that there's meaning within my images that aren't particularly negative. Or, instead, you can look at the surface of my images, see something that's not natural, and assume it is negative. That's quite honestly a loss. You don't have to be art lover to think about what is in front of you. If you turn something away because of a stereotype and dare not look back, that's a damaging quality to have. Take this image I created today for example;

 

The tones are dark. Her eyes have an almost ethereal and eerie contrast in them. There are roots protruding through her neck. She seems to be frightened.

As an artist I have chosen a style for myself. I have discovered qualities that I love and portray concepts and stories I have in mind. The story behind this character is very relatable. She's a young girl, becoming a woman. Stories from her past, every influence in her life, has risen to surface. The roots are protruding and finally releasing themselves, and beyond the roots, there is earth. there is growth. This character is in the process of growing. This is not a "sad" concept. It's a deep concept. All the attributes that make life so precious are deep, there is no question about it. My art visits these emotions and brings them to life. There is a huge difference between sad, and deep.