paradise

I shot this self-portrait in the exquisite palace where Bella Kotak and I lived for three blissful, sun-soaked days in Nusa Lembongan. This was taken the evening before we departed. I had been meaning to photograph there ever since we arrived, but kept putting it off and off until finally, I stopped procrastinating, borrowed Bella's tripod, and started creating. I was inspired by the symmetry of the palm fronds that extended skywards like the jewel of some Earthly crown and, of course, the rich emerald hues. Because I photographed just before dusk, the light was soft and the sky was still bright.

Here's how I used Photoshop to create my vision.

The tripod didn't have a rotating head, so I could only take horizontal images. Because of this, I had to shoot my body in two different shots and then merge them in Photoshop.

I knew that I would have to expand the image in Photoshop if I wanted to include the entire palm fronds and surrounding bushes. This required taking a lot of plates! I actually used more than shown here.

I opened the images in Photoshop and began to merge them using mostly layer masks and the clone tool.

I colour-graded the picture using Selective Colour (to dim the yellow tones), Curves (for contrast and colour), and Hue/Saturation (to increase the saturation).

At this stage, I used dodge/burn to help direct the viewer's eyes to the subject and removed distracting elements such as the hut in the background, brown bits on the leaves, gaps in the foliage, etc. This "tidying up" is the last thing I do to an image.

And it's done!

hello

Hello! I have decided to hop back on the blogging train once again, only this time I'm about twice as determined and twice as prepared. And very, very enthusiastic.

I'm going to be using this space to document my fashion work, as well as my travels. I'm excited to be able to show this blend of my worlds and share the experiences that I am so blessed to have and the images I take to remember them. In the past, I have put up strict dividers between my personal work and my fashion work, creating separate blogs and accounts so that the two never touched. And while that is all well and good, I believe that it is far easier to connect with people when you are prepared to share bits of your life.

So here it goes. My name is Aislin. It's pronounced ash-lin. I am a 22 year old gal who is still trying to figure out what the hell she is doing and using art to help her decipher the world. I dream big and have been creating for as long as I can remember. I photograph, write, illustrate, and design. I am terrified and restless and curious. I am a seeker of joy.

I'm a Canadian but I'm currently in London. Tomorrow, I leave for Scotland. I don't know when I'm going home.