Tales of the Red Dress by Melissa D. Jones
By (author): Melissa D. Jones
Title: Tales of the Red Dress
Subtitle: Be the Exclamation Point
Blurb/Shorttext:
In a world where fairytales are found only on the big screen, I create my own. Armed with a camera, a tripod, and a special order red dress, I travel the world. Forever a landscape photographer, now a fairytale creator.
When people asked to see the scale in my photos, the only natural way for this creative control freak to achieve it was to use myself as the model. Thus in 2016 my environmental self portraits were born.
Despite my self perceived awkwardness, I took on the challenge of being the model, creative director and photographer all at once.
After mastering the self portrait set-up and learning how to be my own model, I decided I needed to level up and start creating works of art worthy of a collection.
I love to put a different spin on familiar places. This desire to help people see a popular location in a new way was the genesis of the fairytale photographs.
Dressing up in Oregon is almost unheard of, and maybe I wanted an excuse to wear a pretty ball gown. Covered in mud is how I grew up. That’s my happy place. I enjoy the irony of me in my best amid the natural elements.
My brand color was already established as red so that was a starting point. I searched for a year to find the right dress. When I couldn’t, I found a dress maker who created the perfect gown for twirling, standing, reposing – whatever the scene calls for.
The red dress creates a wonderful contrast to the verdant green of the landscapes just as I had planned. I didn’t know the dress would not only become my favorite touch of red but that it would become something that was talked about and for which I would become known, a ball gown that would never see a ball, yet was destined to see the world!
The red dress photos are mostly faceless. They can be anyone! I invite every person who spends time with my photos to imagine themselves in the scene as the hero of their own story or the queen of their own fairytale.
Where will the red dress take me? Where can it take you in my photos? Where do you find your own inspiration?
ISBN: 978-87-7620-378-8
Book language: English
Publishing house: Snap Collective
Website: www.snap-collective.com
Editorial Assistant: Silvia Antoni
Designer: Yana Geruk
Published on: 27/09/2024
Category: Art
Price (€): 89
Keywords: Fairytale photos, Nature portraits, Red dress photography, Landscape art, Self-portrait photography, Creative landscapes, Environmental portraits, Travel photography, Nature scenes