The Game Of Chess Limited edition 1 of 20 Photograph

I am drawn to themes of darkness, mystery, isolation, examining the boundary between our world and and the subtle possibility of another; how they may intersect, interact... I have found, artistically manipulated fine art photography to be the perfect medium for me to express it. In a way, I find myself more akin to painter then purely a photographer. The idea, the composition, framing lighting, camera settings is only the beginning of the process. It is mainly during editing stage that I feel deeply fulfilled as an artist. Current possibilities of editing software blurs the line between digital and real life brush strokes. Both are done manually and this, alongside with other editing components, is what makes me feel I am putting a personal signature on, not so much a photograph, but an artwork. Posing for most of my pictures gives me the feeling of fully owning the process however, this is aimed not at a self portraiture but creating a character which will carry the narrative of my visual story. Victorian costumes with a modern gothic twist help to make the character come across timeless, nearly ghost-like, further remove it from any notion of participating directly in our reality. In my work, I thrive on melancholy which connects us with something deeper inside us and creates a aesthetic value which transcendences its mundane, purely psychological dimension. As Italio Calvino put it "melancholy is the sadness which has taken on lightness"