Photomanipulation nominee

Rosewater is a self-portrait which I created by photographing myself jumping, photographing miniature roses and bubbles in a vase and then building an underwater scene from scratch in Photoshop. It was created as part of the Exposing Illusions project through which I explore trick photography and Photoshop manipulation to create illusions that blend fantasy into reality. I longed to do an underwater shoot but without the means to do so I was limited to what I could create with my computer.

Throughout her life Hayley has rarely been without a camera in her hands. Using trick photography and Photoshop manipulation she creates illusions that blend fantasy into the every day. Through the use of costumes, props and posing her conceptual self-portraits aim to tell imaginative stories that could easily have leaked from the pages of fairy tales. Magical realism is at the heart of her images which seek to thrill, inspire and provide an escape from reality, helping people recapture the wonder they felt hearing stories as a child. On her website she runs the Exposing Illusions project where each week she studies and emulates a different creative photography technique in her work, while teaching and inspiring others to do the same. Hayley's work has been featured on Bored Panda and the Huffington Post as well as published in North East Magazine. She has exhibited at RAW Brisbane and has an upcoming solo show at The Hub Gallery, Caboolture. She is currently a finalist in the Contemporary Art Awards, Australia.