The Photo I Am Most Proud Of: Vanessa Vox

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In ‘The Photo I Am Most Proud of’ series we ask a mobile photographer to choose the one image that they are most proud of. It does not have to be their best, or the one that has received the most recognition, just the one image that they are more emotionally connected with than any other. We ask the photographer to share with us the story behind the image and explain why it is so special to them. In the past this feature has unearthed some amazing stories.

This week I have invited the Vanessa Vox to tell us about the photo she is most proud of.

Vanessa’s work is a combination of self portraits, abstract montages and Hipstamatic style street images. For me it is images like ‘Shadows Alive 2’, ‘Spread Your Wings’ and ‘Me and My Porcelain Bird’ that are classic examples of Vanessa’s unique style of mobile photography.

The Photo I Am Most Proud Of: Vanessa Vox

The ‘Photo I am most proud of’…

Hmmmm… it led me to the question: what is making me really proud? I think it is the timeless emotional impact of an image. And this is why I have chosen under hundreds of my photos, ‘MISS SKYWALKER’, a woman hero. A picture with the typical ‘Vanessa Vox’ painterly and retro style. A self-portrait from the darkness series. A symbol of spiritual strength and the believe in magic.

I am proud of the shot, the compositing, the title and the message.

Self portraits are one of my favorite topics. But this special shooting day was very unique. The strange situation: in order to look like, flying free through the sky, I had to fix my body in a frame of a window. The long exposure time made it necessary. My aim was a look of freedom and lightness! With the assistance of my husband I could withstand this uncomfortable posture to maintain the tension and dynamic.

Amongst other apps I edited the picture primarily with Superimpose, added some textures, a big moon and many dots to represent the stars. Finally it became something like a “spagat jump” straight through the universe.

The name ‘Miss Skywalker’ emerged then. It was the result of long discussion with my soulmate. I’m very proud of this title inspired from the epic space opera ‘Star Wars’. For me Miss Skywalker is a imaginary female counterpart to Luke Skywalker. A symbol of women power and strength. We are born somewhere between light and darkness and the belief in the forces of light let us find the way to make wonders come true.

By the way ‘Miss Skywalker’ was selected for the ‘Apps Uncovered-11 January 2014‘ from the iPhoneographycentral.

Bob Weil commented there: “The first image by Vanessa Vox (Miss Skywalker) artfully conveys with a self-portrait a sense of strength and self-confidence. For me, this image suggests that there’s a natural tension between reality and dream (aspiration?) and that this is a positive and necessary aspect of life.”

Beside this ‘Miss Skywalker’ was one of 22 photo illustrations in the presentation of Andrea Bigiarini: “The power of iPhoneography” for the Vittorio Veneto Film Festival (April the 9th, 2014).

The message of Miss Skywalker is to encourage women. May all of us develop the awareness and the conviction to overcome difficulties and make this world a better place. Healthy, beautiful, happy and free. Isn’t it what we all wish?