Title • the absence of dreams

I mentioned in a comment the other day that when I edit a shot I don't add in anything that isn't there; i.e. I wouldn't add a dramatic sky from one shot to a striking foreground from another. However, there are occasions when I've blended two (or more) shots, and this is an example of the same technique. The original included a few people to the right of the girl, and despite numerous attempts to process this shot they remained a distraction. So, rather than black out the background altogether I borrowed a section of the wall from this shot.

The inspiration for this style of image comes from Mike Regnier, a fine art photographer that I've long admired. If you're even vaguely interested in this shot, then you should take a good look around Mike's site (there are various sections, including a blog) as he's produced some wonderful images that truly put this one to shame.

So, to forestall the inevitable, this isn't a straight photograph, but, in my opinion at least, it works a lot better this way; mostly, I suppose, because of the story in my head as I took the shot - my reaction to her expression, and the sense I had that she seemed rather lost. This is a style that I'm going to explore in the future, so I'd be definitely interested to hear your thoughts.

Oh, and if you're interested, the original is here:

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