It’s 6:00 on a random weeknight, and time has stopped.
That’s what happens, at least for me, when I’m out in nature. With the sun peeking between tree branches, the tall grass tickling my legs, and the heat prickling my skin, this is a place that always heals my soul.
Once a week, you can find me out in nature, climbing around on tree trunks or surrounding myself by yellow wildflowers to capture self-portraits. Nothing gets me more into a flow state than these self portraits.
In this case, I was working on a winter challenge for the Starling Club (you should join!!). Founded by Jamie Beck, the group is for people who love the arts, writing letters, slow living, culture, and all manner of life-giving pursuits. Our winter challenge was recreating a work from a master through any medium we saw fit: drawing, painting, collage, or photography.
I chose this painting by Degas:
It had all the features I love most: beautiful outfits, nature, and dance, combined into one.
First off, the setting.
I wanted to stick as closely to the painting as possible; after all, the ivy-covered alcove helps lead your eye, and the peek out into the beautiful orchard is so idyllic. For weeks, I stressed that I would need to go out to Pasadena or even Santa Clarita to scout for the perfect spot.
But, after my duck photshoot, I realized that the nearby basin near my apartment has so many unexplored nooks and crannies. Sure enough, I found a spot that did the trick: an overgrown tree fell downwards like a waterfall, caught in a spell of dark shade, while the brighter park peeked out from the right. I was so excited!
Next, costumes.
There were a few elements from the painted that I wanted to keep. First off, the corset-like top with thin ribbon straps. Second, the motion of the skirt. While Degas was able to masterfully create a smudge of color, I figured I would take a stab by layering a blue sheer skirt over my other ballet-like skirt.
For the straps: I had the perfect shirt, but it was the wrong color. I bought Rit dye to dye it a nicer pink-burgundy color (like the inspiration), BUT I GOT THE WRONG KIND! Darn. Well, in life, when we make mistakes, we recalibrate and keep going. I decided to do the shoot anyway and just make it work (actually, I think it ended up being okay—the plum color of the top would’ve been too distracting).
For the skirt: To give a nod to the original source, I pinned the blue skirt up to create organic ruching—I just used sewing clips and arranged strategically so you couldn’t see them.
And now, for the capture!
Jamie Beck recommends using an iPad to view your setup, along with a remote to set off the self timer (I use my phone as the timer).
Then, I referenced the painting on my phone and posed myself while keeping an eye on the iPad for what it looked like in-camera. Because the painting is so full of motion, I worked out what motion I would do for the camera and set it to take 10 photos of me in action. I shot each pose 3-4 times to make sure I had enough options.
This one was actually a merging of a perfect upper body shot, partnering with the perfect skirt swish.
Next, I layered this shot for this post.
This part got fun; I enjoyed layering myself. There was just something magical and very Barbie 12 dancing princesses about it!
Now behold, the final composite! I started to add shadows, but my husband pointed out that the magic of the painting is the lack of shadows that really sells the “one woman swirling” feeling.
I then cropped to be like the painting (with the dancer on the left slightly cut off) and changed the colors.
How do you think I did? Compare below!
From this project, I learned a lot—first off, making images like this isn’t as scary as I thought it would be! Secondly, it was fun to play with choosing elements of a few poses that were perfect to create the perfect pose (i.e., the swish of the skirt was right in one image, while the arms were better in another). And lastly, the power of movement in photos.
I had to figure out what each dancer was doing and act it out. One, reaching for her potential with a faraway gaze. The next two, fixing the strap of their shirt in such a graceful pose. And the final girl is mid-swirl.
How to apply to your work
- To learn a new skill…copy! Of course, don’t sell it off as your own. Give credit where credit is due. But use a masterpiece as a springboard, whether you give it new life or try to copy it exactly. View 160,000 pieces from the National Gallery of Art to start here.
- When shooting, use “scenes.” Whether you’re doing self portraits, couple portraits, etc., it’s very helpful when capturing cinematic shots to have the model act out scenes.
Have you ever created an image like this? Do you do self-portraits?
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