Dolls
I was transfixed by Meatyard's placement of old dolls in disused buildings and strange environments. I wanted to try out this genre, if only to see if I could achieve a similar feel to my photography. I had an old doll to include in the shoot.
Living near the orchards in Kent, there are many abandoned buildings that serve as a backdrop. A few days earlier, I went on a location scouting exercise to see if the old containers at the back of the orchard were still accessible. They were ideal.
Later that weekend, I took my doll and the camera, enjoying the process of placing her into the scene. Once back in the studio, I used Lightroom Classic to grade the images and was pleased with how the photographs turned out.
In the April Critique, the images were not well received. I totally understand why. The comments ranged from creepy to clichéd and passé. It didn't worry me unduly because that was not the reason for taking the photos. For me, this was an exercise in producing an image in the style of Meatyard.
What emerged from the critique by Jo, Leo, and later in a conversation with Paul Coldwell was interesting and has my attention. It was the notion that the background alone could create the uncanny atmosphere, with the doll serving as a distraction from that image. When I have time, I would like to test this idea by taking a new set of photos as suggested. Good.