Red Riding Hood
The Little Red Riding Hood story has always intrigued me. ABC's Once Upon A Time put a phenomenal spin on the fairytale, and many others have done their own versions and stories of the character as well. I am not sure what it is. It could be a reason as deep as the character herself or simply the mere fact I love the costume, and (now) modern vibe that the character expresses. When my instructor for my Narrative in Photography class revealed our first assignment could be our own rendition and interpretation of a fairytale character, I had to find a Red Riding Hood, and fast! Less than a week to pull the concept, costume, and model together.
Luckily, my friend, Dannielle, had a little bit of free time to work with, and had a great selection of clothes to make up this costume. Meanwhile, I scrambled for ideas. The character is one of the most popular of all time, and so many people have spun the character across the spectrum. As photographer, Chase Jarvis, said, "It's not about being better. It's about being different." I tossed the concept to a few different people and had some amazing brainstorming and collaboration! Really cool ideas, such as placing Red in modern times, wearing a red hoodie, facing off against a man wearing a wolf mask, as if she was being attacked or robbed. I thought about this and, while I loved the idea, there was just no way it would work out in time. But, it did trigger another idea of mine, which, again, involved a wolf mask. The concept is Red would be toe-to-toe with herself, only her counterpart would be wearing the mask. Essentially, the wolf would represent the worst parts of herself that she was looking to end; an internal struggle she was fighting rather than a real wolf. Alas, I found no wolf mask... But, I did come across a proper Riding Hood cape that I paired with the rest of her outfit that worked wonderfully!
Of course with no wolf, I had to change the concept slightly. Dannielle is a very strong individual. She faces her battles head on. Knowing this, I wanted to preserve this reality within the fairytale. A strong Riding Hood. Dannielle also has a fun, outgoing side, which I also kept. I know those two characteristics by themselves do not tell the story all that differently then has been told in the past, but it is still unique to my friend and my vision.
Take a look at the results and tell me what you think!
Honestly, this was the best photo shoot I have ever done. I had a solid idea, I knew pretty well what looks I wanted, and executed it near flawlessly. My class loved the close up shot, where she is staring right at the camera! It meant a lot, coming from established artists, two already having completed the program (one being the instructor). The best part of all is that I did not do it alone! The collaboration with others, either bouncing ideas or having props and equipment to borrow, was beautifully woven together. It seemed that while everyone except me had no stake in the project, they all brought their best to make sure it happened. Another friend, Danielle (Two friends with the same name, spelled differently. Haha.), came along, and just having her around and asking her opinions on certain shots helped tremendously. I feel it helped Dannielle get into the rhythm (yeah?) as well, having a couple friends along, essentially having a group to hangout with for a few hours. Finally, THANK YOU, Dannielle, for playing the part! I thought we were on the same wavelength the entire time as we put the costume together and created each scene. For obvious reasons, I could not have done this shoot without ya! You rock!
I feel I am finally making serious headway in my photography and life in general. More to come!