As a conceptual self portrait artist I get to feature in lots of whimsical, imaginative works of art which I create in photoshop. I started creating these self portraits in 2020, during the pandemic. I had no clients to photograph so I turned the camera onto myself (which made me feel so uncomfortable at first). I taught myself how to composite edit, building a scene from scratch in photoshop and then adding shadow and light to give it some realism. These photos can take hours to create, they are a labour of love but this pandemic hobby has now become a creative outlet that I can’t live without.

Conceptual composite art is a unique photoshop skill but unfortunately with the rise of AI, people can be mislead into thinking that creating something like this is done with the click of a button. Click play below to see 53 photoshop layers assembled into a finished product.

I think it would have been magical to be able to have a photo like this on my bedroom wall, when I was a little girl. Something that made me feel invincible, adventurous, imaginative! I do offer custom composite portraits where I will build a whole photo just for you - tailored to whatever you want it to be and completely unique to you. But custom composite portraits aren’t a financially viable option for everyone. So this is where the idea for Photo Swap came along… I have built a small selection of my self portraits as a ‘photo swap template’ - and this allows me to swap myself out of the photo and put someone else in. Because the scene is already built, I can charge a lot less than I would have to for my custom portraits. Here’s a little example…

In order to Photo Swap you (or a loved one) into one of my pre-made templates, I will need to photograph you in the pose required. I cannot accept photos that you have taken yourself as I need to ensure the photo is of a certain quality and that the light and angles are right for the perfect Photo Swap. For this reason, I am only offering Photo Swap locally (I am based in Plymouth in Devon). I am not a studio based photographer so we may have to get a bit creative with where we take the photo. I take most of my self portraits in my conservatory but they can usually be taken outside too. Some poses are easier than others, so I can offer advice when you’re choosing your Photo Swap.

Photo Swap prices start at £60 and this includes me coming to take the photo of you (providing it’s local) and you’ll also get a 16x20 print.

If you book me for a family photo shoot or event, we could take the posed Photo Swap photo at the same time, in which case I will only charge £50 for your Photo Swap creation.

Here are my available templates…

Which I will add to as time goes on.

I realise there are a lot of studios that you can take your child to, which have realistic backdrops that when photographed in front of, it looks like you’re in the scene. What I offer is very different as it’s digital artwork that takes hours to create and the ideas for these scenes all came from my crazy imagination. For some people the simplicity of having your photo taken in front of a backdrop will be much more appealing and I know I can’t compete with that. But Photo Swap is unique, it’s the opportunity to become the artwork and there won’t be 100 other children that have had the same portrait, like you’d get if you go to a studio. So if you’re looking for something a little different, get in touch! If you’re looking for something completely unique that no-one else will have, perhaps a custom composite portrait is what you need, prices for this start at £100.

Jay’s custom portrait.

Jay wanted something out of this world and he really loved my self portrait where I’m being eaten by a strawberry (don’t ask). So I created this custom piece where he’s being eaten by Mars and get this, the teeth he’s being eaten by are his own teeth!! You may be able to spot his chewed off leg floating in space in the top left hand corner. And of course, I couldn’t not add an alien and a couple of rockets.