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Monday, May 19, 2008

Tripping Over The Girl


In one of the White on White series, I mentioned a photographer named Girltripped.  I found this young woman's work rather noteworthy and after looking through her rather extensive potrfolio over at Deviantart, decided to feature some of them here.


Let's start with Bedtime Sonnets.  It looks a bit commercial to me but still has that slight edge to make it more interesting.  It evokes a backstory of a rather naughty Snow White taunting the evil stepmom and the prince all at the same go.  The use of muted colours and soft lighting on everything except the face is quite well done and the slightly harsh, almost skanky expression on the model's face is a nice juxtaposition of the soft, romantic veneer of her surroundings.

Definitely not a fairy tale you would be reading to your 5-year-old in bed.

The next frame drew me the moment it splashed across 
my screen.   By now, you might probably have cottoned on to Girltripped ethereal use of light and subject matter.  

Quite lovely and wonderfully evocative.  One could surmise that she is a water nymph quietly dallying the day away or a maiden seeking to cleanse her thoughts by dancing gently in the cool, lapping waters.

You get a sense that she is moving out of your frame, leaving only the gossamer ripples of her memory.

Yes, there is much to wax lyrical over this stunning photo.

There is a continuity to Bedtime Sonnets here but if I remember correctly, it did not seem to happen in the same time frame as they were shot or at least uploaded on her site.

The reason why I say this is because you can understate that the artist may be a one-theme wonder.  But not so.

Her other works show a more interesting range and approach but I do notice the constant of using feminine subjects and themes. 

Candle could have been used in the White on White series but I decided that it would be paid better justice on its own merit.

Again, there is a softness and delicacy that was missing in Bedtime Sonnets.  Is the subject shocked by the sudden flash of the camera?  Was she caught in a moment of private contemplation and slightly wary and unhappy at the intrusion?  The eyes and lips speak to you and seem to almost rebuke you for the startling of such incandescent beauty.

Likewise Comma gives off that same sensation of catching a comtemplative beauty in mid-thought.  

However, whereas Candle featured a more mature subject, this one seems to hold hostage a young, budding flower in mid-crouch.  

You get the impression that the ingenue is in the midst of some forbidden act or thought and is caught off-guard.  There is almost an I'm-busted air about her that seems to calculate of the photographer is an ally or a naysayer.  

The use of colour is masterful.  She almost blends into the wallpaper yet glows brilliantly against it with her expression and luminosity.

And now we see the diversity of Girltripped's skills.  In Endless Summer, the approach is much more vibrant and in-your-face.  

The colours are much more vibrant.  Almost stark in comparison to her other works above.  The subject is also more canny and harder looking ... well, except for Bedtime Sonnet.

While her expression may be soft and her body almost awkwardly youthful in position, her dark-rimmed eyes and sharp focus directly into the camera gives the impression that this is a hard young lady indeed.  Caught in a rare moment of gentle repose.  For her, anyway.

Typically, I find such poses ungainly and slightly vulgar.  I keep thinking of Britney Spears.  But the use of the bright, summery colours and the position of her head lightens this so it is not a crotch-shot but a capture of a moment in time.

Hatred of the Minutes (I hope that is right) reminds me of one of Linda Bergkvist works.  The latter has an obvious obsession with masks and this one somehow reminded me of one she did of Beth.

Again, I love the lighting and the colours.  But this one is almost sharop-focused compared to her earlier featured works in this post.

Also, she exhibits a tendency for the darker side here with the suggestion of hawk-like, almost predatory stillness.  I rather like it.

There are lot more beautiful works from this talented photographer.  I shall let them speak for themselves now.













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