43.9

This one, in all its simplicity, was a bit of a monster. The idea was there since before the shoot - a rarity for me, as I usually compose images after they are shot, and add concepts into the raw material. But this one was a planned one, and even though I had what I wanted in mind, this nevertheless became a difficult edit.

The model shot had to be expanded to fit my desired dimensions, which meant pulling and stretching the negative space around the model. The wall was built using an old lock and key I bought in an antique store. The lighting was all artificial, since this shot would have required me to shoot the model with a light source aimed into my camera, and that would have been a lens flare nightmare. So the side lighting I used had to be modified to reflect a consistency with my window light source.

Thematically, I was thinking of science, and the Age of Enlightenment. I was thinking of paradoxes, and conundrums, and ultimately, what I am depicting is called Infinite Regress - what is needed is outside, but to get to it, you need the key to unlock a door, but the key is outside, etc. A puzzle.

Model: Gilberto Mendez