Kindra Nikole is a Seattle-based conceptual photographer whose work draws on natural settings to create surreal, otherworldly fantasy images. Citing Brian Froud, Jim Henson, J.R.R. Tolkien, Hayao Miyazaki, and Kirsty Mitchell as key influences, Kindra manifests fantastical realities in her images, oftentimes with a hint of dark allure. Her works typically feature a solitary figure immersed in nature, exuding an array of emotions.
After two years of pushing her artistic limits through self-portraiture, Kindra recently began a project she has called “dreamscapes,” in which she tells a story in each image through lush characters and elaborate surroundings. This project, which Kindra started as a means of dealing with the recent loss of her mother, features original photography and characters of her own design. Each character wears handcrafted outfits and accessories made by Kindra herself, with the aid of a handful of friends and assistants. Many of the outfits are assembled from fresh foliage, requiring that foraging and assembly take place the day of the shot to avoid wilting. This new venture allows Kindra to hone her photography and share her passion for telling stories, crafting lavishly detailed ensembles, and creating an entirely new fantasy world. This ongoing project reveals a story through each image and new character introduced, slowly revealing to the viewer the inner workings of her dreamscapes.
Kindra’s self-portraits, while not directly linked to her dreamscapes project, offer her opportunities for spontaneous self-expression as well as glimpses into her inner world.
Through photography, Kindra hopes to create worlds and imagery that her audience can escape into–worlds that are not always safe but that are, in a way, more true than reality.
[Kindra uses as little compositing as possible in postproduction of her images. Fire, props, and ensembles are all real and were present during shooting and are not composited in during editing.]
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kindranikole/
dreamscapes set (as viewed on Flickr): https://www.flickr.com/photos/kindranikole/sets/72157643050341433/
Credits
- Photography: Kindra Nikole Photography
- Concepts, costume creations & designs (As seen in dreamscapes images): Kindra Nikole Photography
- Models: Kindra Nikole Photography, Cassie Meder, Meredith Adelaide, Alexandra Dupey
- Makeup Artists: Kindra Nikole Photography, Cassie Meder, LC Hair & Makeup
- Assistants: Austin Tott, Alli Chinn-Tupper, Rachel Kinkade
- Crystal crown (As seen in The Crystal Paladin): Elemental Child
Find Out More
http://www.kindranikolephotography.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kindra-Nikole-Photography/495800123770510
https://twitter.com/KindraNikole