Czech photographer Hana Vojackova was drawn to images of mermaids but she noticed that the common concept of mermaids lacked connection to the real and present world.
She began a multi-country journey where she “[looked] for local girls who felt a bit different or special. Influenced by the places, the cultures and the girls’ real lives, she created narratives that she then staged for the tableau photographs“#
So far Hana found mermaids in Sicily, Czech Republic, Germany, Portugal, England & Iceland.
On the project page she explains the motivations behind the photos:
The project Milk & Sea is a photographic exploration of how to connect these mythical females to the real world; what could mermaids’ stories be if the mermaids were living now in contemporary conditions? Where would they live? What would they do? Who would they actually be …..?
While the tails look completely real, they were created over laborious six month post processing work:
The “fishy lower halves” are created in postproduction. I photographed the girls in leggings and then created the shape of the tail in a computer in 3D. After that I photographed various fish skin and scales and created the textures.
[Milk & Sea | Hana Vojackova]
I like the idea, but I’m not a fan of the photomanipulation. Silicone tails are the way to go ;) hehe