Earlier on, I wrote that reading “The Fairy Kitten” made me feel two ways: comfortable and yet also transported into a magical world. Hence, I explored both narratives by doing two shoots. However, the time came for me to decide between the two, and I made a rubric for myself to finalize on the narrative I wanted to submit.

These are my three chosen pictures from both the narratives.

“Comfort” narrative:

“Magic” narrative:

Criteria:

Upon closer analysis, I found that going with the “Comfort” narrative was a better choice. Even though the “Magic” narrative took more effort with the props and took a longer time, I felt that I relied on the background too much for the narrative, compared to the “Comfort” narrative where I could express the meaning with clarity although it didn’t have as many props.

 Final images chosen + write up

Something that is always cozy and I’ve been doing the longest time is reading.

I love reading. I love curling up in my bed with “The Fairy Kitten” by Enid Blyton, especially – as the first Enid Blyton book I bought, it gives me a lot of warm fuzzy feelings. The day I got it at a book fair, even though I came back from school exhausted, I didn’t take my usual afternoon nap because I couldn’t wait to start.  I remember falling asleep on it because I could not stop reading. I still fall asleep whenever I take it out and read it – it’s almost become a habit, the way my body tells me that “Hey, this is familiar, and easy, and it’s okay to fall sleep if you don’t want to stop”.

That’s the sense of comfort I aim to portray with this series. I hope that the framing pulls the viewer into the image, like you’re there with me – I feel that the angles are really unoffending and friendly, almost. I chose these three photographs as I felt that they told the story of what I feel and do when I read “The Fairy Kitten” – the story draws me in at first, then I get comfortable reading it, then (I get too comfortable) and fall asleep reading it.

I used subtle compositional techniques, such as the pyramid in the first image, the leading lines (with the placement of the blankets) leading to the subject in the second image, and the rule of thirds in the third image.

I used warm, pinkish tones overall to convey a sense of nostalgia as well, hoping that the viewer will also be taken back to times when they felt happy and serene with a good book in hand. Thank you for coming on this journey with me for this task!