Alice and the Red Queen
One day in Wonderland, Alice and the Red Queen found themselves at a masquerade. What would they say to one another, seeing the other sitting on the same couch? Would they recognize each other’s inherent power? Would they be friends? Or would they sit in brittle silence, waiting for an unending evening to end?
Who invited who to the ball? And where oh where could they find a cup of tea? Or a white rabbit to follow to a new and different realm?
Or maybe they’re just bored.
We were invited to the latest Portrait Slam featuring Northern California photographers. We knew that we wanted to use the red dress for red queen inspired images. We had an idea about how to include Alice and the Red Queen together, and how they connected to one another. I had an idea to create a composite melding two characters into one frame. Could the Alice and the Red Queen be friends outside of the construct of Wonderland?
I didn’t have a tripod (we needed to be nimble) so I knew that I needed a room with fairly easy lines to match up. We started the evening with Alice wardrobe, so we scouted for a spot where both characters could be merged into one image. The couch at the end of a second story landing was perfect. The space, though, was small. I couldn’t fit the entire scene into one composition. So I took many image with the intent of stitching them together at the end.
Later in the evening, we returned to the same space once Anika wore the Red Queen wardrobe.
We paid attention to each character inhabiting part of the couch. Anika brought stories to the scene with her body language and attitude.
We love the composite results! Who has the real power in Wonderland?
I have many more photos to share of each character, of course. Coming soon to Wonderland near you :)
Model: Anika Vodicka
Event: Portrait Slam
Location: Park Victorian in Auburn, California
Wardrobe: Discovery Thrift Shop Auburn
Vintage Accessories: Robyn Marie's Vintage
Red Queen Dress: St. Vincent's Superthrift
Tiara: Split Pea
