Week 8 - Star - Geekgirly & the melody censor

Left: Geekgirly
Right: the melody censor

tmc: The themes for this week were chosen by Bronwen, and were all homonyms. Sarah and I didn't discuss anything regarding this week's theme of Star and yet we both came up with square format colour photos that are primarily black! Plus we both chose the meaning of the word that refers to the stars of the night sky.

Geekgirly: When I saw that our theme was "stars" I instantly knew I had to do something with my moon mask. I am glad that Susan and I were able to create images that fit so well together!!

Week 8 - Spring - Kerrie and Anna

left: Anna
right: Kerrie

Anna: Week 8 of The Divine Diptych Project saw most of the girls involved taking a break. Life tends to get in the way, and some things are simply more important than others. Still, a few of us were game, and I was paired with the fantastic Kezz.

All the themes for this week were homonyms (you know, words which despite the same spelling and pronunciation have different meanings). Kerrie and I got "spring", so plenty of meanings to choose from.

I'm usually quite miserable during autumn and winter. It's only when spring arrives that I start to feel alive. I've got more energy and am generally happier. So much so, that I could jump out of joy. And that's what my photo is about.

Kerrie's image just screams "spring". That blossom is awesome:-)

Despite somewhat different takes on the theme, I think the two pictures match well. I love that we both have pinks, greens and blues in our photos. And I love that they make me smile.

Week 8 - Game - Bronwen Hyde & Ligeia

Left: Ligeia
Right: Bronwen

Ligeia: This week, Bronwen came up with the themes, and ours was "Game". My first idea was to use a rubbick cube or a chess table but suddenly my cat decided to play with this little ball and I decided to go for that idea :) Bronwen made the diptych and she was right about the two images looking like mirrored in the subjects position.

Hide 'n' seek and football looks like good games to play, don't you think?

Week 8 - Generation - Lililly & Rowandevoe

Right-Lililly
Left- Rowandevoe

For Week 8 our Theme was "Generation". The lovely Kate(Lililly) is expecting baby number 2 and looking so radiant! We didn't really discuss what we were doing doing for the theme, but I think that both photographs ended up fitting together well.

Lililly: When I thought about the theme 'generations' I immediately thought about the next one, the one I'm soon going to be adding to and the one I'm worrying about so much recently. I wanted to capture my pregnancy and giving life to the next generation, but also the 'Mother's Worry' that is plaguing me right now. Its got me thinking a lot about if my mother worried about anything during her pregnancy with me, and the worry her mother must have had being pregnant [while living in Dover England] during the war.'

Rowan: When I thought about "Generation" I was reminded how I ended up with so many Greats and Grands treasures yet I am not married and would not be having any children. I basically saw it as my branch of the family tree was dying off with me. I am wearing my Grandmother's dress, beside me is my Great Aunt Fagella's(she was from Russia) crystal wine glass and I also have her fine china. Behind me are treasured family photographs of my ancestors. I also embellished my hair with some cherry blossom branches to represent "my branch" of the family tree. I wonder who will tell these relatives' stories after I am gone or who will want to listen like I eagerly did. I was the keeper of stories and my family's treasures in my generation.

Week 7 - Faeries - MaryElise and hsmithphotography

Left - Heather Evans Smith (hsmithphotography)
Right - MaryElise

hs: Technically we are rolling into week 8, but here is our week 7. I had no clue what to do for this one. I remembered having a irish fairy book that I bought shortly after traveling to Ireland. I was fascinated by all the fairy stories, it seemed like everyone there had one! I was excited to see that Mary had also used a jar in her image. I mean, isn't that how you catch them?

Week 7 - Snow White - Susan (the melody censor) and Merle (Rowan DeVoe)

Left: the melody censor
Right: Rowan DeVoe

Rowan: For Week 7 of the Divine Diptych Project I volunteered to pick the themes which meant that they would be everything from Art Movements, Historic Eras to Fairy Tales. I got the theme Snow White (my favourite Fairy Tale). The woman I was paired with had to sit out this week unexpectedly. But another member, Susan aka "the melody censor" (whom I had done another diptych with earlier and loved working with) jumped in at the last minute with a photograph she had and it worked out perfectly.

She (on the left) is portraying the Evil Queen in her disguise of the Old Woman in Rags offering Snow White the poisoned apple with the red poisoned side facing Snow White. I love how scary she looks!

I finally forced myself to take a photograph I have been trying to figure out how to do forever. I have wanted to be Snow White in her glass coffin but haven't been able to come up with how I would create this glass coffin. Since I forced myself to make one for this photograph(it is real, no photoshop) I feel like I have finally crossed a big "Have to do" photograph off my list! It was very claustrophobic inside it but I kept going and squirming in and out of it to push the 10 second timer and them quickly squirm back in(I could only get in it through the bottom so any photos that did turn out were happy accidents). An added bonus were the Tudor Roses in the leaded glass.

tmc: YAY! Lucky me, I get to play twice this week!! Like I said earlier in the week, I wanted to do photos for all of Merle's amazing themes, and when her partner couldn't participate this week, I jumped at the chance to pair with her GORGEOUS Snow White photo. My Evil Queen is a new edit of a photo I took last August, but knew instatly that it would work as the Evil Queen with a little work. Through combined editing on both our parts, I think the pair worked out wonderfully!

Week 7 - Cinderella - Elle Moss & Juliet Home

left: Elle Moss

right: Juliet Home

Elle:  Julie and I didnt really talk about format, but I shot first and told her mine would be portrait and with brown/yellow tones.  We didnt discuss what we were shooting or how we were interpreting "Cinderella".  I think this tells a clear story of how Cinderella ran very fast away from her man to go home and play with the one she really loves...Mr. Mouse.

Week 7: Romeo and Juliet, :anna: and Sadandbeautiful (Sarah)

Top: Anna as Juliet
Bottom: Sarah as Romeo

(Sarah) For Week 7 of we were paired up and given the theme of Romeo and Juliet. I right away wanted to discuss more ahead of time than the previous pairings and suggested we do the more iconic scenes (either the balcony or the death scene). I volunteered to be Romeo.

Originally I envisioned us doing a sort of gangster-era style image, picturing Anna in her gorgeous red dress, but life gets in the way as life tends to do, and we got this, which is growing on me more and more. I sorta like the creepy stalker vibe happening (yes I'm kind of a freak, nice to meet you).

Week 7 - The Tudors - Bee Brady & the melody censor

left: bee brady

right: the melody censor

Bee Brady: I am constantly in awe of how much thought and work Susan (the melody censor) puts into her self-portraits, and as you can see, there is no exception here, amazing !

My shot is a tudor manor house not far from where I live, taken on a country bike ride yesterday.

tmc: I adore Brady's photo of a Tudor era manor house. I can only imagine what living in a country with such a rich, and long history is like, and have to admit that I am completely jealous, not only of the architecture, but the influence of such a rich history on the culture.

My image is one that I have been planning for some time as part of my "In the style of..." series. This is in the style of Hans Holbein the Younger who was painter to King Henry VIII.

week 7 - Sorceress

Left: Geekgirly

Right: Ligeia

This week the lovely Rowandevoe came up with some interesting themes for the divine diptych project. Ours was "Sorceress". We didn't exactly talk about how each of us were going to interpret the theme and this is what we came up with!

Week 7 - Kerrie & Kate - Exotic Goddess

Left: Kerrie

Right: Kate

Week 7 - Pia and Meganzii - Sleeping Beauty

Top: Pia

Bottom: Meganzii

M: Pia and I got to be sleeping beauties this week. :) I also decided that I wanted to be blonde like Pia, so the wig has made another appearance. I saw Pia's photo before I shot mine and wanted to try to capture the same light, ethereal feel. There was an alternate combination, but we chose this one because we liked the modern twist of my close-up (sleeping beauty with a lip ring).

Week Six: Provocation by MaryElise and Juliet Home

MaryElise: Left

Juliet Home: Right

For week six of the Divine Diptych Project, I was paired with the softly beautiful *MaryElise*. Both of our images are playful provocations, but with the intent to elicit different reactions (although I'm sure you'll smile at her bird's unintentional flaunting of the posted sign).


*I also like our colours and tones together :)

Week 6 - Euphoria - Sarah Schloo and Anna =

Anna: The idea behind my image was euphoria as a state of exaggerated state of happiness, with no foundation in truth or reality, often resulting from the use of psychoactive drugs. I wanted to create atmosphere of an opium smoking room in 1920's, but with a modern twist. Sarah decided to take a photo based around my idea and, in Sarah's own words, we ended up looking like a couple of crackheads.

Week 6 - Obsession - the melody censor & MMaeb

Top: the melody censor
Bottom: MMaeb

tmc: The theme obsession was the most difficult to date for me. I stuggled to come up with an that wouldn't come across as silly or cliche. M brought forward the idea of obesession of appearance, specifically body dysmorphia.

MMaeb: I heard a story a few years ago about a man with body dysmorphia who hated his appearance so much that he broke his own nose with a hammer. That kind of obsessive-compulsive fixation with his supposed flaws inspired me for this week's project. I loved the melody censor's image, and adjusted my image to be more in sync with hers (mine was quite a bit warmer originally).

Week 6: Phobia. Rowandevoe and Sadandbeautiful

Sadandbeautiful (Sarah): Left
Rowandevoe: Right

Merle and I didn't discuss really anything as I was hardly online this week (traveling) and poor Merle wasn't even sure if I'd be sending her anything! We just sent each other a few possibilities and these two just fit right together. Fear of the unknown, agoraphobia perhaps? We were delightfully vague. :-)

Week 6 - Scent - ligeia and heather evans smith (hsmithphotography

Top: hsmithphotography
Bottom: ligeia

hes - Eva and I shot our images separately and I love how well they work together. This diptych makes me feel happy and so glad spring is here!

Week 6 - Artificial - Kerrie and Bronwen Hyde

Left: Kerrie
Right: Bronwen Hyde

This week was a bit crazy for me, coming in late on the themes as I was on a road trip for the past three weeks.

I was a bit stumped initially on what to do for the theme of artificial, but I decided the blue wig I bought at a theatre's garage sale a few months ago would do nicely as a blatantly artificial subject.

All I knew about Kerrie's image before shooting mine was that she had already taken it, it was portrait format, and that it was on the desaturated end of things, which I totally forgot about when shooting my image, as you might be able to tell by the vibrant blue of the wig...

I love Kerrie's image and her concept for the theme, and despite my initial concern that my image was over-simplified by comparison, I think the two images end up working quite well together, especially as we're both totally 'armless ;o)

I'm loving catching up with everyone's creativity in my absence; and with the wonderful themes provided by rowandevoe for Week 7 I'm sure there'll be some brilliant pairings to come!

Week 6 - Lani and Elle - Potion

left: lani

right: elle

Elle:  Lani and I had "potion" as our theme and we didn't really choose a format at all.  We just shot them and put them together.  I love the way we took it in a different direction and yet it really works.  The pop of red is a nice touch, too!

Week 6 - Quizz and Pia - Lyrics

Above: Quizz

Below : Pia

Week 6 - Geekgirly and Bee Brady - Absurd

Left: Geekgirly

Right: Bee Brady

Bee : This week for The Divine Diptych Project I was paired with the lovely and very talented Geekgirly. Our theme was 'Absurd', and I think my part at least needs explaination.... As I discovered when I actually looked into the meaning of the word absurd, there is a whole philosophy behind it. Absurdism being the result of humans searching for meaning when there is none. The only escape from absurdity is suicide or faith. Well I was very stuck on how to interpret that, so looking further I saw connections to existentialism, especially Camus, and Absurdist literature, such as work by Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear... Ideas started to form.

So this is an absurd self portrait representing existentialism in absurdist literature..... clear ? ; )

Week 5 - Sarah Schloo and Lena Paloma - Grace

Left : Sarah Schloo

Right : Paloma

Week 5 - Kerrie, Lucy and Lani- 'Rock and Roll'

Left: Kerrie
Middle: Lucy
Right: Lani

This week was a threesome 'triptych', befitting of the theme 'Rock and Roll'.

Week 5: Juliet Home and [Ligeia] - Zippers

Left: Ligeia
Right: Juliet Home



Ligeia: This week I was paired with the fantastic Julie. And the theme was zippers. I thought about doing a photomanipulation with a zipper as my mouth but Im afraid I'm not that good so I switched for the dress :) I was delighted when I saw both photos together because we didnt set up any format or colour squemes. But they look so great together. The use of ligtning, the soft toning and the dark touch in both shots is really matchy. Im really happy with the results. Thank you Julie!

Week 5: MaryElise and Meganzii - Window

left: MaryElise
right: Meganzii

Meg: For Week 5 of the Divine Diptychs, I was paired with Mary and we were assigned "Window(s)" as our theme. Mary and I decided to shoot color, and did not have any further discussion on the matter! We both had very busy weeks, so this diptych is a bit late. ;)

I initially shot using not a window, but a pane of glass (my shower door). I was happy with my shots, but they didn't convey "window" at all, so the next day I decided to shoot again in front of my house, next to an actual window. Now, as you can see... my house has ugly windows! However, I liked this shot, and proceeded to edit about 6 different versions of it. When Mary sent me hers, I thought this version matched very well - they both have a sunshiney kind of feel to them - and we were excited to see that we both have some greenery and nature in our shots.

Quizz and Sadandbeautiful(Sarah)

(Sarah here) This week I was paired with the über-talented Quizz and was extremely nervous about that! Our theme was ROPE. Each of us ended up letting the week get away from us and shooting late. I had a few options ready when Bogna sent me her somewhat macabre image. I ended up playing with my photo bit to match color better, I'll admit (as i was BW before)!

We came out the other side here with a despair/hope kind of thing, we think! All I know is, Bogna is not only beautiful and amazingly talented, she is also incredibly sweet and kind. I adore her and was glad to have the chance to partner with her! I am a bit disappointed in my image as I feel I let my fears about 'living up' to Quizz prevent me from going all out and trying harder.

Week 5 - Patterns - Pia and Heather Evans Smith (hsmithphotography

hes - I was happy to get the theme of patterns this week. For one, I had a really loud shower curtain and hat that I had been dying to use of a photo. When I saw Pia's pic, another flower pattern and in the same format, I was thrilled. :)

Left : Bee Brady

Right : Marico Fayre

Bee Brady :I have adored Marico's delicate, wild and stunning outdoor self portraits for a long time now, and getting paired with her was very exciting for me. MFayre and I both take most of our SP's in the woods and given the theme dappled light, I think we and the other artists on the project saw us in the woods this week. I love how this unplanned combination shows how both of us broke with the expected (and also that we both live in currently overcast places..... ;)

Week 5 - Vanishing - rowandevoe & the melody censor

L: the melody censor
R: rowandevoe

tmc: I was really excited to do a project with Merle, since doing tributes of some of her work earlier this year. We started discussing what formate etc to work in, but we never really came to any conclusions, Both of us often work in colour and square format, so it all worked out in the end.

As soon as I saw the theme vanishing, the idea of white face makeup and a white backdrop came to mind...something of a vanishing into nothingness. Her images are a statement, not about her vanishing, but the vanishing of the green environment. I'm so glad that I was able to make such a plain concept work with Merle's rich, colrful and textural botanical images.

Week 5 - MMaeb and Geekgirly - touch

Left: MMaeb

Right: Geekgirly

Michelle: Sarah and I are both grateful for the good friends we've made through Flickr, including each other, but we both agree that "virtual" communication is not enough. Human beings need physical contact as surely as they need air, water, food... One of our recent conversations sparked the idea for this week's diptych. Our theme was "touch," and we decided to try to convey the longing for touch, rather than touch itself.

We agreed to shoot in colour, but that was about it. As demonstrated above right, Sarah has this ability to create desaturated images that still retain depth and detail. When I saw her image, I adjusted the saturation and exposure of mine slightly to make the tones harmonious, and played with scale and cropping. These were both horizontal images, but ultimately, they seemed to work best when the space between us was smaller.

Week 5 - Anna and Elle - Spellbound

Elle: When Anna and I were given the theme "Spellbound" we were kind of at a loss as it could be interpreted so many ways. We decided on square or landscape and color and thought discussed the idea of being 'possessed' or using a ghost type image. I took several long exposure images where my 'spirit' was rising out of myself, but in the end went with this image, also a long exposure. I love how our images are both facing the camera and are both beautiful, feminine and maybe a bit 'possessed'.