Still from 'The Escape'
There are various things about a scene that make me want to capture that moment as an image, and sometimes it's not only for what I see in the moment, but for what I envision it becoming. In 2017, while living in Paris, I would often walk around with my camera in hand. I remember taking this particular shot because the mirror reflected the sky behind me, creating an alternate perspective—two worlds within one frame. It was also during this time that I was becoming more interested in creating GIFs so I was also photographing pigeons in motion, the movement of clouds, city scenes and even during fashion shoots, all with the intention of piecing them together.
Fast forward to September 10, 2024, when I rediscovered this image. Instantly, I envisioned a pigeon flying from one world to another, and the word 'escape' came to mind. And so, 'The Escape' was born. We often associate birds in flight with the idea of freedom—'free as a bird.' This creation plays on that concept. Oh, to be as free as a bird, able to fly away wherever and whenever it wishes.
'The Escape': images taken in 2017, concept realized in 2024.
A playful visual concept that uses optical illusions to craft an alternate universe, where a mirrored reflection of the sky contrasts with the real sky above. The central theme features a pigeon, symbolically escaping one world and entering another, blurring the line between reality and illusion.
Of course, not all my GIFs have such a concept, in fact, some are more about being focused on the 'present moment' of that particular time and place. Take 'The Twirl', for instance, from Here & There Magazine's Street View fashion editorial. Shooting with stunning styles from a Paris agency in Paris with my good friend, and also one of my favourite makeup artists, Amanda Bell, we were towards the end of our second day of shooting and you can sense the overall enjoyment of the shoot from our whimsical stylings and playful attitudes from this one GIF.
Needless to say, there is something about GIFs that I truly love for story telling. Not just a photo and not quite a video, this is a style I am going to be further exploring, and possibly offering to clients in the not so distant future!
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