pieces of a dream

Even though it’s nearing the end, summer is always a time for inspiration for me. It’s the only time of year that I feel like I have some time that I can use to set aside and create. It probably the school schedule, because summer is the only time you could do absolutely nothing. Of course, now that I’m all grown up and have a full time job, summer doesn’t exactly equate to that anymore. But there’s something about summer–maybe it’s the longer days–that makes me feel like I need to do something productive.

This summer I entered my Puki Dal into the Dalicous Photo Contest that’s held at the Dolly Market Forum. It’s a good excuse to practice photography and setting up stage sets. I’m putting in more effort into these sets of photos because I’m using my re-ments and other miniatures, which actually turns out to be a great excuse to reconnect with an old hobby.

The first challenge theme was Summer. I had a hard time pin pointing which idea I wanted to do, let alone which was the easiest to execute. Seasons are so broad; there’s so much you could do with one season. I toyed with ideas of sitting on the porch eating fruit while watching the sunset, flying a kite, or blowing bubbles on the lawn. In the end I decided to have Puki do what I would probably do in the summer. Lay on the floor, in front of a fan or air conditioning unit and complain about how hot it is!

I have to admit I had fun though doing this because I could imagine what she was going through. I’m not a big fan of heat, and I tend to feel sluggish and stay indoors so I was trying my best to capture that frustration. Ironically though, the weather for the week I took the photo was rather cold for the San Francisco Bay Area. We had overcast and wind chill! But I think the photo turned out fine and hopefully it conveyed what I wanted. Does it make you feel a little hot at least?

Last weeks challenge was Chores. I was absolutely afraid that I wouldn’t be able to send my entry in on time because my work week was extremely busy and my weekend was booked. I originally wanted to do a paranoia picture themed after Disney Princesses (ie. Cinderella and Snow White). However, with the lack of time and resources I had to quickly scratch that idea. I woke up early enough on Saturday to take a quick photo shoot of Puki washing the dishes instead.

I have to admit that using props is a big plus when I take photos of my dolls. As I was pulling out my re-ment kitchen and refrigerator I ran across my re-ment cleaning supplies! How perfect is that? In the end, I was lucky to have the rubber gloves, sponge and scouring pad all ready.

Hopefully down the line I will actually shoot the other ideas I had brainstormed. Maybe I should put all the ideas into an idea book, so when an ‘artist block’ hits, it’s there for me. Wouldn’t that be nice? I wouldn’t have to think so hard, and time would be saved!

Tomorrow, the third challenge should be revealed. Here’s to hoping that this will be my first completed contest. Whether I go far or not, I’d be satisfied with the fact that I finished. Fingers crossed!

Note: Photos included in this post are my actual outtakes. Please visit my flickr account for the actual entries!