Use digital software such as Photoshop to create a composite image which visually appears to be a documentary photograph but which could never actually be. 


My composite image consisted of 2 images, (Fig. 2-3) which I found on line,  I was inspired by Peter Kennard and Cat Phillips (2002-2019) Photo Op series and in particular his Tony Blair Selfie (Fig.1)

Fig. 1

Composite Image

There were quite a few images of the queen to choose form (as you can imagine). I wanted it to be obvious that it was the queen but without it being explicitly so. The headscarf, the coat and the stance make it quite easy to guess who it is,  along with Buckingham Palace which is a rather a big clue and something that would put the monarchy in peoples minds before they wonder who the person is. I didn’t have a particular reason for putting her on the outside looking in, other than it being something that is very unlikely to happen. I do however suspect that people may want to put their own political take on it!

A little snippet to make this perhaps a more interesting image is that as a young girl, i believe she did, along with her sister Margaret leave the palace in disguise to party with everyone in the street at the end of the war.

I added a shadow on the ground going in the same direction as the posts and some highlights to the left hand side of the coat to correspond with the direction of the natural light.  I did wonder if the headscarf was to bright but it acts as a point of contrast, and pulls the attention to the right spot in the image.

I showed it to a few friends and family who all identified the person correctly, found it quite amusing and commented that there might be a more underlying social/political aspect to what it represents. 

Bibliography

Figure 1
At: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw293862/Tony-Blair-Photo-Op
[Accessed 06/10/2020

Figure 2
At: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/destinations/coronavirus-effect-buckingham-palace-and-all-other-royal-residences-to-remain-closed-to-the-public-this-year/as75713424.cms
[Accessed 07/10/2020]

Figure 3
At: https://www.vanityfair.com/style/photos/2016/01/the-queens-most-royal-accessory-her-headscarf
[Accessed 07/10/2020]