A Picture’s Worth With Mel Harrison (MahoganyTurtle)
A Picture’s Worth… is where we ask mobile photographers that have taken or made, as the case may be, powerful mobile art to explain the processes they took. This includes their initial thoughts as to what they wanted to create, why they wanted to create it, how they created it, including all apps used and what they wanted to convey. We also ask these incredible artists to explain their emotions and how the image projects those feelings.
We have published a few A Picture’s Worth articles recently, if you have missed those – please go here.
In this A Picture’s Worth … today, Mel Harrison (MahoganyTurtle) talks us through her incredible image ‘Nellie With Her Doll’, shown below.
(If you would like to contribute to this section or if you have seen an image that you would like to learn more about, just email Joanne@theappwhisperer.com and we will get it all set up).
Over to you Mel…(foreword by Joanne Carter).
‘Nellie With Her Doll’ – ©Mel Harrison – MahoganyTurtle
‘I have always been a girly girl, into dolls and frills, I sew, I knit, I like high heels and hand bags. So ironically I had 4 boys!
This image of Nellie with her Doll is my inner girl, she is frilly and skipping, she plays with dolls and wears a pretty dress. Ironically she is made from a photo of my youngster boys bedroom, an irony I enjoy immensely. I love that despite being surrounded by males I still retain my inner girly girl. The image is so delicate, it radiates innocence and happiness. It is an image that I connect to on a very personal level, it makes me feel happy and hopeful.
Process
Nellie as I said started with a photo of the makeover to my youngest boys bedroom, it is a simple photo of two armchairs, a side table and a rug. Tiny planet and glaze turned it into shapes that became the parts of Nellie.
Nellie was constructed in Juxtaposer, I carved out her head, body, dress and feet, her hair was made from the same tendril curls that adorn the bottom of her dress. Her doll is a miniature replica of herself cradled gently in her hand. She skips across a hillside background that was created in filtermania a while back and stored in my background folder I used the same tendrils to create a border using the stamp function in juxtaposer.
My next step was pixlr express where I used the filter Antonio at 80%, then I went to icolorama and used the fabulous masking feature to create a scroll in the background.the scroll was made in: Form-Deforms. Then I went to Image blender to blend the scroll into the background.
Finally I used Scratchcam to add a powdered filter that created a soft, washed out finish to the image and was perfect for what I wanted to portray.
Sugar and spice and all things nice. That is what Nellie is made of!’
Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)
2 Comments
JQ Gaines
I just love your work, Mel!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Robert Lancaster
Wow Mel, thanks so much for sharing Nellie with us.
She is beautiful.
I would to see of video watching you work and carving these masterpieces.
Thank you again.