My wife collects dolls of all types, and for whatever reason they absolutely terrify my seven-year-old son. I mean to the extent that he will not use the bathroom just off the master bedroom if the main bathroom is occupied because he would have to walk past one of the scarier ones. Of course, to me they are just dolls, but I well remember the fears and terrors of childhood, and I well remember my own parents “pooh poohing” such supposed silliness on my part.
So, with this in mind, I set out this morning at the dark hour of 4:00 a.m. to try and capture these dolls’ faces the way that I imagine my son sees them, rather than in the bright light of day and filtered through the mind of a “rational” adult.
I wound up scaring the snot out of myself…
This is the doll that is perched high up on a shelf in the master bedroom. It belonged to my wife when she was a little girl, and it is definitely showing it’s years. The thing looks positively demonic…
Another shot of the same doll…we’ve gone from demonic to insane…
I actually got a little creeped out, standing there in the darkness with nothing between me and that freak-show but a flashlight and a digital camera. This “I Love Lucy” doll is actually wearing a festive little Mrs. Claus outfit. What could be less threatening than Lucille Ball and Christmas? But viewed from the right angle, and in the right light, the image takes on a rather sinister overtone…
The expression on this little laughing boy’s face turns from merriment to madness, when viewed from a slightly different perspective…
And this gypsy lady with the mask over her eyes seems about to come alive and turn toward the camera…
Finally, even the angel in my office comes off as somewhat less than “angelic” when the lights go down…
I’m glad I tried this little experiment in changing perspectives. I’m far less likely to dismiss my son’s fears as irrational if I first try to see things as he is seeing them, rather than judging from my own point of view. Gosh, I wonder what else that might work with…
