wonderland.

This image, entitled Beach Houses, 2005 is part of a series entitled Teenage Stories by Julia Fullerton-Baton. I stumbled across one of the images on one of my favorite blogs, iheartphotograph. The jumble of photos that appear on the homepage usually only allow one to scan halfway down and then move on. Every once in a while an image will catch my eye and I will take a closer look, deciding whether or not it is worth my time to check out more of the particular artist’s images. I deemed Julia Fullerton-Baton’s work worthy of this extra time, and found that although her images are not necessarily “my style” they are incredibly intriguing. The photos are definitely “posed”, probably requiring an intricate set, and they have almost an ad photo kind of feel. At the same time, they tell a story and are beautiful fine art images that provoke plenty of emotion, at least for me...

Bike Accident, 2005

Of the several series that she has posted on her website, the Teenage Stories one interested me the most. To me they were very powerful and I can relate to the emotions that are reflected in the images. They seem to convey the story of growing up and what it feels like to experience change in every aspect of ones life. The cocky attitude and feeling of self importance that every teenager has, that you know everything in the world and are ready to take it all on and dive in head first…to me that’s what is being portrayed by the over-sized models, towering over the sets. And yet at the same time, the girls are shown feeling awkward, scared, self conscious, and intimidated by the changes one must face and the mysterious fantasies of the world...

"I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!"