The Story of an Artist: A Narrative Character Portrait by Isabel Owen (2015)

My character is a young ''starving'' artist, meaning someone who sacrifices material luxuries to pursue art. Art is one of my character's passions. Making art brings her contentment and freedom in the form of expression. Painting in particular, takes her away and creates an escape from the high pressures of society. She internally struggles to live peacefully in a world full of societal norms, and uses art as an outlet to express her discontent and anger towards rigid philosophies and expected behavior. I tried to capture the happiness and freedom art brings to her in this photograph, by shooting her in an relaxed and natural setting.

When photographing my model, I originally struggled with adjusting the lights in the studio to take a well-composed, and balanced photo. This was difficult at first, as some lights were too bright, and created a shadow across the image. After readjusting the studio lights multiple times, and finding out which lights were needed to create good contrast, I was able to take more artistic photos. Since the mood I was trying to capture was relaxed, the camera angle was simple and direct. I ended up laying on the ground to take this particular photo. Props were also one of the main aspects of my photograph, as they were needed to help tell and support the story. I dressed my character in a painter's shirt. It is an art garb that was splattered with colors and stains acquired throughout her artistic career. I thought this was an important prop to express my character's artistic personality. Along with this, I decided to incorporate a painting. When placed behind her, as well as equipping her with a palette and a brush, it allows my message to be conveyed more clearly. All of my props were simple and subtle, but helped me communicate her story and character.