sarahallegra
FollowThis self portrait is the most recent addition to my Enchanted Sleep series on living with myalgic encephalomyelitis-Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. This photo touch...
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This self portrait is the most recent addition to my Enchanted Sleep series on living with myalgic encephalomyelitis-Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. This photo touches on both the hair loss I was experiencing because of the disease, but in a larger sense represents all the things chronic illness takes from you. But it is not without hope, as I wanted the warm pinky colors to imply.
Yesterday marked my fifth anniversary of living with the disease, and as usual, I wrote blog post about it. I've also teamed up with a really amazing fundraiser trying to crowd-source funding for a drug that could be a potential game-changer for everyone with ME-CFS. As part of my effort in trying to aid their cause, I am holding a <b&bt;print giveaway<-b&bt;! Check my blog out for details on how to enter!
*Red Bubble
*Prints
*Blog
*Facebook
*Twitter
*Sarah Allegra Artistry
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Yesterday marked my fifth anniversary of living with the disease, and as usual, I wrote blog post about it. I've also teamed up with a really amazing fundraiser trying to crowd-source funding for a drug that could be a potential game-changer for everyone with ME-CFS. As part of my effort in trying to aid their cause, I am holding a <b&bt;print giveaway<-b&bt;! Check my blog out for details on how to enter!
*Red Bubble
*Prints
*Blog
*Sarah Allegra Artistry
Read less
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Top Shot Award 22
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Contest Finalist in Imagination Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Fantasy Portraits Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Photoshop World Las Vegas Photo Contest
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Peer Award
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annalaviolamilo
August 09, 2013
Excellent. Love your work. The very best of creativity always comes from within, personal experiences. Very moving post. Wishing you the very best on whatever you embark on through life.
snowdon
September 04, 2013
Congratulations on being judged a finalist in Photoshop World Contest. Good imagination put into practice.
ToneZone
September 09, 2013
Your work is creative and very interesting. I am happy that you are taking initiative with your health and not allowing the disease to run your life.
photofairy
October 06, 2013
Thank you for sharing this beautiful and creative photo! I love your work!
ghick6252
February 20, 2019
Good Afternoon Sara. Your art never ceases to amaze me. Outstanding Creativity & Superior Skill. I do so love your work.
blzzard
May 11, 2020
Magnificent, Sarah. I've been an intractable pain patient for 20 years, which is an umbrella condition that includes adhesive arachnoiditis, myofascial pain disorder, peripheral neuropathy, cervical disc disease, & polyarthralgias. This photo could be read many ways, one of which might be losing pieces of oneself. Masterful work, & thank you for sharing your details.
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Behind The Lens
Location
I shot this self portrait in the yard of my home in Los Angeles, CA.Time
About 5pm, just as the sun was starting to go down and the golden hour opened up.Lighting
I find that as long as you wait for the right lighting outside, there's little you need to do to modify it. Patience is key!Equipment
A Nikon D5100, a 50mm 1.8 lens, a tripod and remote shutter release.Inspiration
I had been experiencing some hair loss as a result of my myaglic encephalomyalitis (sometimes called fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) which was very upsetting at the time. At the same time, I realized it was a rather trivial thing to be concerned about, so I created this image to allow myself to mourn my loss, which would help me to work through my feelings.Editing
All the crows came from my personal library of bird images. I flipped my hair over and over to get individual curls for the crows to be flying off with. I blended several birds into my hair itself, did basic skin editing and enhanced the sunset colors.In my camera bag
A Nikon D5100, a 50mm 1.8 lens, an old 35-70mm kit zoom lens, a lightweight, collapsible tripod, several cheap remote shutter releases and some snacks! You never know when your or your model's blood sugar might get low.Feedback
Spend a lot of time making sure everything blends together believably. Spend time looking at the image at 100% resolution and higher, and also back out so you can see the entire thing at once. Pay attention to how the light would naturally fall on the crows and hair if they actually had been in the frame and try to replicate that as closely as you can. The little details will really help sell you image!