All the images used are original photos taken by David Atlee from where ever he may find them. Some images inspire the story, some stories inspire the image. Whilst some seem very far from a photo, they all started life as a photograph. Some are taken further and manipulated digitally to something more fitting for the tale. Where an artist uses paint and a brush to create effects like the dabbled textures shown here, David uses photographs as his paint and the mouse as his brush.
David talks about some of his imagery
The image for the second part of ‘The School.’ It is a combination of wire fencing, a rusting motorbike, some dried cracked mud and a good friend/model called ‘Beth’. With some layering techniques the photographs evolve into something more fantastic, magical and unnerving. I love the freedom of using photographic layers to create a final piece, whilst I can be detailed and manipulate pixels to the effect I want, the images often take on a life of their own. I knew I wanted to incorporate a girl’s face behind the fencing, when I placed it in with a basic opacity effect I had no idea the eerie skull like quality would appear. I tried different methods and always returned to the almost random effect i had found as it was the strongest result.
The photograph for ‘The Elements‘ was taken on the Dorset coastline during the summer. It was taken using a Nikon D50 and using a infrared filter. Using infrared techniques is a magical and peaceful experience. Time and patience is needed, but the results can be fantastic. You are capturing heat at a very low level compared to the high powered heat sensors used in earthquake to find people beneath the rubble. You can see how the grass on the cliff top is white from where the grass has captured the heat of the sun and the sea is dark as it is much colder. The final effects are ethereal and take the imagination to new places. Ideal for spooky tales of ghosts and other realities.
