issue :blood, sweat + tears:

A couple months ago I was sent a link to a photo contest by a client of mine. I was excited after clicking the link realizing W Magazine was having a contest based on the word "Obsessed". Photographers were instructed to submit images that depict the word "Obsessed". Immediately the thoughts of plastic surgery & beauty ran through my mind! I knew that was the topic I wanted to touch on, but I was also certain TONS of photogs would be focusing on the same obsession. Since my niche is photographing kids I came up with the cooky idea of a wacky surgeon that performs cosmetic surgery on children & the mother who was encouraging this. Face lifts, Botox, etc. This is the initial image:

After being UNimpressed with the image (don't get me wrong, my little model is such a cutie, but it didn't have the UMPH factor) I decided to put together a whole entire set, use more than one model, shoot the adult model as the mother and surgeon, etc. The shoot as a whole took me about 3 weeks to put together. This was my final submission:

Unfortunately my image wasn't chosen to be included with the top 20 for the public to vote on (here is the link: http://theartcontest.wdesires.com/public-voting.php) I must admit I shed a tear or 2 because I put soooo much into this shot & I would have been soooo ecstatic to have won! Of course I know this image will find it's place somewhere important some time soon so I am not discouraged.

Story to accompany image below:

Obsessed with "i Candy"
i candy: n. Informal

Someone or something that is visually attractive or pleasing to look at that often only thinks of self. Addicting, puckering, colorful... There are an endless supply of manufactured dolls living to cater to their sweet tooth and convert to today's version of the Stepford Wife. Obsessed with strutting the perfect frame within the perfect clothes. The perfect extensions to frame the perfect face which, of course, houses the perfect nose, eyes, and lips.

Possessed by the hunger to gain (and maintain) perfectly constructed and eternally youthful beauty, they devote their lives to impressing their friends and foes while blissfully living the charmed life.

Clearly, this sort of mind trip is never complete without the support of flawless husbands that typically provide extravagant dwellings, jaw-dropping vehicles & pie-in-the-sky offspring. Due to their self-inflicted mindset of entitlement to perfection, God forbid that their new human-accessories decay their ideals of what their perfect replica should be.

This image depicts what extremes that someone SO obsessed with manufactured attractiveness may actually go to in order to keep up appearances. Am I putting "extras" on it? Perhaps. Maybe even I became too obsessed with this contest and went too far. Or, did I barely scratch the proverbial (plastic) surface?

Photography/story: JaTawny Muckelvene Chatmon

Hair & Make Up: Progressive Hair Dressing

Styling: Pat Philogene

Models provided by: Cima Talent

*thanks to Elbie & Mecia for help with editing my story.