The Estella Shoot

 

This is the final outcome of my Estella shoot, and after post-production, I am fairly pleased with the image. I wanted to portray Estella during her late teens before she leaves for Paris, however I think that the look I have produced is a lot younger, perhaps looking at a mid-teenage Estella. I have made the skin very pale, but added a slight dusting of colour in the cheeks and lips to give a youthful glow, and suggests an element of play and movement (contrasting to Miss Havisham, who I would think would have very little colour to her skin). I also darkened the under eye area with a mixture of colours from my Supra palette, as I wanted to portray the conflict within Estella, as I imagine she finds it frustrating to be trained and mentored to be cold, heartless and mature from an early age. The dark circles could suggest a lack of sleep and tiredness due to the constant effort she makes to uphold her mask.

The age I had wanted to portray Estella

A closer age to which I feel my image represents

I think I could definitely improve on my styling, as it is very simple and, although incorporates trends in terms of material from the era, I am not sure that the cut of the neckline is as accurate. Perhaps looking in Victorian costume shops would have helped with research and styling. I am disappointed that the hair is not on show, however I feel that the pose of the model demonstrates Estella's false front; the half smile demonstrating her cunning and manipulative learned behaviour.

I purposely pulled hairs out of the plaits from the side of Estella's face to give the impression that the front is not her true identity or feelings, and that she has been pulled apart by Miss Havisham and rearranged into the heartbreaker she wishes she could have been.