Hi all
This time a special dedicated to the work of the fantastic photographer Cat Bonner and her amazing fantasy and science fiction work.
These reviews are part of Reviewstack run by the great writer and pillar of the Substack Community :
An ongoing series of reviews of some of the wonderful articles, poems, and stories I’ve discovered on Substack (and other places) and more importantly the beautiful souls behind the works.
Please take a few moments to read the works of these authors, artists, and creators and if you find their work as life-affirming and life changing as I do, then please let them know. We need to support and cherish these voices.
You can meet some of my other friends in the previous instalments: 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
If you want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering for the poetry side of things) - consider clicking below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.
Cat Bonner’s photography shines all round with pleasing compositions, vibrant yet harmonious colour pallets, and intriguing angles and perspectives. It is their fantasy and original pieces that truly struck me. The discipline and finesse of professional photography meets an imagination run wild!
These photos are alive, dangerous and constantly surprising, but still observe the nuances of classical framing, lighting, and colour. Evoking classical myths and legend from the celts to steampunk science fiction, these photographs immediately drop you into another world. The presentation is also brilliant, laid out in a graphic novel structure with a whole story presented in a sequence of images. Clever use of perspective from wide shots where our heroines stand alone in haunting Irish landscapes to tight angles that capture their fear, triumph, and tense determination. I feel that I must also tip my hat to the talented models/actresses and actors vividly conveying the emotions so expertly captured.
Some of my favourites include:
“Grainne and the Lost Crown”. A pirate captain explores a lonely beach for an ancient treasure. We get vistas of inhospitable sands and rocky outcrops, leading to close ups of her determined, straining efforts as she climbs razor sharp rocks to find her treasure. Her costume is wonderfully authentic: a captain’s hat that looks lived in and worn through many sea battles and adventures, body armour designed for duels, and perhaps a precaution against a mutinous crew member. Smirking with greed and pride, as she grasps her treasure - not a sleek and shiny bauble, but a strange and ancient thing. Jagged gemstones almost vibrating with drudic power. But oh no! She’s caught us spying! A last fourth wall breaking frame sees her with sword raised towards us looking murderous. Run!
“Mhara”. This story returns the much needed awe, power, and melancholy to the mermaid archetype. Irish mermaids, much like the Greek sirens are creatures of otherworldly power and unknowable intent. With all due respect to Hans Christian Anderson they are not whimsical girls waiting on a human bridegroom! A strange beautiful woman washes up on the beach tangled in litter thrown into the sea. Somewhere further along the shore a young man carelessly drops lotion onto the sand. He finds the mysterious woman and offers her help, dropping his coat over her shoulders. But she is no ordinary girl, she is indeed one of the Merfolk. Fantastic lighting, hair, and makeup make her shimmer in deep oceanic blues with glittering highlights completing her magical aspect. She grabs him passionately in an urgent zoom shot of her tightening hand showing Cat’s gift for visual storytelling. She holds him tenderly, but then (telepathically?) senses his mistreatment of the ocean and reveals vampiric fangs! He is dragged into the ocean in a terrifying sequence of images capturing his fear, and her fury like a Frank Miller graphic novel strip brought to life! If the themes of Grainne and the crown are adventure and triumph, then this is a tale of caution and the natural world’s vengeance.
These are just samples of Cat’s beautiful and mesmerising portfolio. Other fantastic galleries include the science fiction adventure “The Scavenger” told in gorgeous images of bronze and sapphire or “Godwyn” with its atmospheric forest shots and distinctive costuming. Please take some time to enjoy Cat’s diverse and engaging website - their more conventional portrait and event photographs are every bit as rich and striking as their fantasy works, they are an exceptional talent in the art of photography - delivering crisp, detailed yet visually harmonious shots. Their website, I think, should be treated like a coffee table art book, something to be savoured and leisurely moved through. Take some time to enjoy a photographer who does not merely document our lives, our imaginations and the world, but instead celebrates them.
I hope you enjoy these beautiful works as much as I enjoyed seeing them and writing about them.
You can meet some of my other friends in the previous instalments: 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Substack has proven to be a treasure trove and I already have a few more gifted writers lined up for my next review newsletter.
Subscribe to Claim your FREE book of Poetry and art Hypnos Hermes - an epic poem presented as a medieval manuscript. A fantastical story written in verse enriched by many colourful and vibrant artworks.
If you want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering for the poetry side of things) - consider clicking below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.