Jemapela Photography

Soon after the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus emerged out of China, Australia went into a nationwide lockdown from 23 March 2020. Due to multiple waves of COVID-19, Victoria became the state with the longest and tightest lockdowns in Australia, sometimes with nightly curfews.

Like hundreds of thousands of other people, I was stood down from my job. Staying at home without work, I could not go out to do landscape or portrait photography. I browsed the internet for toy photography and discovered some 1/6-scale highly-articulated anatomically-correct figurines. Not designed, and not marketed, as children’s toys, these figurines are not found in toy stores simply because they are not children’s toys. These quite expensive, highly-posable, figurines are models made for artists, cartoonists, photographers, and fans of movie and game characters for display.

In mid 2020, I got my first 1/6-scale female figurine in the mail to do photography at home during the months of lockdown. I bought the figurine intending to try using it for nude figure art photography but did not end up doing it for several reasons including not having a macro lens. There are many companies that make a wide variety of heads, clothes, accessories and props to create a character that stands around 30cm tall. My direction turned towards creating scenes and story-telling hence more figurines and props soon came in the mail.

Doing this photography at home has since reduced my time going out and spending on entertainment and recreation outside, and adding non-essential travel mileage on my car. I also handmade at home some miniature wooden furniture including tables, benches and a bed, during Melbourne’s prolonged and repeated lockdowns. Doing photography of these figurines have helped me maintain my mental health during the many months of lockdown. While it might sound ironic, my new recreation with these figurines has saved me money that could have been blown off elsewhere if there had been no COVID lockdowns.

By late 2021, Victoria and specifically Melbourne city, had endured 6 lockdowns. Melbourne emerged from her 6^th lockdown on 22 October 2021, making a world record for the longest cumulative days in lockdown.

Be advised that some images contain adult or alternative themes, or nudity. These images are not suitable for young persons and may be offensive to conservative or religious persons.

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