If I could live in a magical world filled with fairy-tale like characters, I’d hope it was created by Kirsty Mitchell. Her dedication to crafting such meticulously beautiful and unique scenes really comes through in, no kidding, every single one of her shots.
When we first interviewed Kirsty, we found out that she can take up to one month to put together one photo. Why? “I make everything from basic raw materials, which means I often hand dye the fabrics for the clothes to match the exact shades of the flowers they will be shot against,” she told us. As a photographic artist and fashion designer, Kirsty is one of those rare talents who can not only envision a make-believe scene, she can bring these out-of-this-world ideas to life.
To really appreciate all that goes into her photography, read the interview we conducted with Kirsty. In addition, look through these behind the scenes shots that she sent to us. Notice the hardworking people, the fantastic props, and the incredible patience that went creating such an epic series that she so appropriately calls Wonderland.
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When asked what the public’s reaction has been to the Wonderland series, here’s what she told us, “The reaction to Wonderland has been pretty huge, I’m genuinely humbled and moved by so many of the comments, and emails I have received, and how emotionally involved some people have become. I have had emails from teenagers who have lost their mother, or parents who have lost a child.
“One woman wrote to me saying her mother had died and she was struggling to cope with her children whilst she was grieving. However, since she discovered the Wonderland series, she made a promise to herself to read to them every night like my mother did, so she could inspire them and give them happier memories. I never expected this, but it’s been a beautiful side to the project that I cherish greatly. I also get a great deal of emails from aspiring photographers who are really excited and relieved to see the behind the scenes pictures. The say it gives them hope, now they can see I don’t have a huge professional team, and it’s all been produced through a lot of hard work, friends, and very tiny budget.”
Finally, what does she hope others get out of it?
“I hope people can lose themselves for a little while in it. It was a conscious decision to have music played alongside the images on my website, so the experience was more like a film than just individual shots. These pictures are not a cold editorial; they are full of our experiences and emotions. The project has been a journey, and witnessing all these moments for real has changed my life. It gave me a place to run away to, and immerse myself in colour, hope, and beauty when the real world can be so damn horrible sometimes. So Escapism would be my number one aspiration.
“Secondly, inspiring people to ‘have a go’ and just push themselves with what they have is also very important to me. We have made props out of buckets, broken umbrellas, cardboard and chicken wire. I have had so many people donate their little treasures for the pictures its been enlightening to see a sense of community in a world where we have given up on that kind of spirit. One old lady let us cut down her entire hydrangea bush because I couldn’t afford to buy the flowers we needed to make a huge wig with. It’s restored my faith in people…. so if any of that seeps into other people own experiences, it’s a positive thing too.”
Make sure to keep up with Kirsty on her Facebook page and her website.