Projects | Discover Inspiring Visual Creations

College Projects

Keeping up Appearances

Final collage project/ grad exhibition

'Keeping up Appearances' is a documentary-style project exploring the everyday beauty rituals and routines that shape how young women present themselves. Based in private spaces such as bedrooms and bathrooms, the project documents the at home transformations done through hair styling, fake tanning, painting nails, shaving, and experimenting with makeup. These repetitive performances often sit between self-expression, social expectation, and self care. Focusing on realism, rawness, and vulnerability, the project displays messiness, boredom, and comfort rather than idealised perfection. While the images may be soft or pretty, they are not sanitised.

The project engages with feminist themes surrounding societal pressures, highlighting the unseen effort behind appearances and questioning where empowerment, self care, and conformity overlap.

Sa Solas

exhibition

Sa Solas is the Irish phrase for “in the light.” Each photograph is a close-up portrait of a woman who is emerging from darkness, or the shadows, into the light. These collaborations with my subjects are the result of a lot of experimentation with different lighting set-ups and poses. My lighting technique in the studio involved the use of spotlights in order to create an image in the style of early to mid-twentieth century headshots or film stills. The subjects are posed in a theatrical way, with an emphasis on expressive emotion. The images are lit to capture the contrasting textures of hair, material and jewellery against the black background. My use of light, darkness and shadow aims for a dramatic chiaroscuro effect

A black and white photo of a woman with dark hair styled in an updo, looking over her shoulder at the camera, with her hand resting on her shoulder, wearing a sleeveless top with lace trim.

Black and white portrait of a young woman with curly hair partially covering her face, wearing a fur-like coat and a light-colored shirt, looking contemplative against a dark background.

Black and white portrait of a young woman with natural hair, wearing a dark top with embellishments, sitting in a dark environment.

Black and white portrait of a woman with natural hair, wearing a necklace, with shadows cast across her face and hands.

Black and white portrait of a young woman with short dark hair, looking upwards with wide eyes, touching her face with her left hand.

Black and white portrait of a woman with curly hair, looking to the side with a serious expression.

Black and white portrait of a young woman with curly hair, looking upward with a contemplative expression.

A woman with short, wavy hair and multiple facial piercings, wearing dark clothing and jewelry, poses against a dark background, illuminated by a stark light source.

Swoon

photobook

The images in this photobook project were inspired by the works of Horst P. Horst and George Hoyningen-Huene. Horst, a German-American, and Hoyningen- Huene, a Russian-American, worked in fashion photography in the 1930s and 1940s in Paris, which was then the center of the fashion world. Their work from this era was characterized by black and white images with models in neo classical poses. Both men worked for Vogue magazine, which in the 1930s was moving from flat line drawing illustrations to photographs. Horst and Hoyningen- Huene were known for combining attention to the detail of the clothing and references to art history. Their clever use of lighting including stark shadows meant thier images were reminiscent of renaissance chiaroscuro style paintings. Some of the images in this book are direct recreations and others are inspired by the spirit of these two photographers. Horst used spotlights and floodlights in his studio. Hoyningen-Huene kept his lighting simple with one key light and a background light. In attempting to re-stage and re-create their images, I came to appreciate how meticulous and skilled both photographers were.

A black and white photo of a woman sitting on the floor with her back to the camera, wearing a satin dress with open back, her arms are crossed behind her head, and several cords are draped around her. She has tattoos on her arm and wavy hair.

A woman in a black, sequined dress posing with one hand on her hip and the other covering part of her face, standing against a plain background.

Black and white portrait of a woman partly covered with a fur coat, with only her eyes and hair visible.

Black and white photo of a person in a satin gown, standing sideways, with a contemplative expression. They are wearing a necklace and a smartwatch, with the gown's train on the floor.

A black-and-white photograph of a woman in vintage clothing, posing with her arm raised and her hair blowing to the side.

A woman in a black dress poses with her back to the camera, arms raised, against a dark background.

Black and white portrait of a young man with curly hair, wearing a suit and tie, leaning against a wall.

A black and white portrait of a woman resting her head on her arms, looking directly at the camera with a contemplative expression.

A person wearing a fluffy coat and a skirt, standing with their back facing the camera in a dark room, illuminated by a spotlight, with their hair blowing, and their shadow visible on the wall.

A person in a satin gown sitting on a stool, resting their chin on their hand in a reflective pose, shot in black and white.

A woman with long hair and makeup posing against a dark background, with her hands near her face.

Black and white photo of a young man with curly hair wearing a button-up shirt, looking directly at the camera with a serious expression.

Black and white photo of two women with shoulder-length hair, facing away from each other, looking in opposite directions, in dramatic lighting with shadows.

A black and white close-up of a woman's ear with a large flower earring and her dark hair, wearing a black fur collar.

Silhouette of a woman with long hair sitting against a wall, illuminated by a circular light, black and white photo.

A black and white portrait of a woman with shoulder-length hair in a floral-patterned kimono, sitting against a dark background.

A black and white portrait of a woman with dark hair, closed eyes, and floral earrings, lying down with a contemplative expression.

Black and white portrait of a young man with wavy hair in a white shirt, leaning on a table with a dark background.

A black and white photo of a woman with short hair, multiple facial piercings, and dark lipstick, posing with her hand near her face against a dark background.