Cut captures life

BUDDING photographer Kimberley Munro, 17, likes to look at life from behind the lens.
“You can create what you want to capture,” The Knox School year 12 student said.
“Capturing meaning is probably the most important thing.”
The Knoxfield teen’s photo composition Paper Cut is featured in the Top Shots exhibition at Monash Gallery of Art.
The collection features work from 17 schools, including Monbulk College.
Kimberley completed Paper Cut for her year 12 Studio Arts exam.
The photo composition measures one square metre and took seven months to complete.
Hair and makeup for the shoot took two and a half hours – and Kimberley did it all twice.
She completed a practice shoot to get her model, a close family friend, comfortable and relaxed for the real thing.
At the end of the final shoot she had 300 digital shots to choose from.
Kimberley went through each frame and narrowed it down to her 50 favourites.
She printed each one, cut it out and arranged them in different combinations until she was happy with the final product. “I wanted to show the inner feelings of female teenagers,” she said.
Bullying, peer pressure, violence, the stress of completing year 12, social cliques and drug and alcohol abuse were all issues Kimberley was keen to explore in her work.
She took the title from US band Linkin Park’s single Papercut. “The lyrics really reflected what I wanted to portray,” she said.
Kimberley plans to pursue a career in photography through a course at RMIT University or Photography Studies College. Top Shots is open at Monash Gallery of Art, 860 Ferntree Gully Road, Wheelers Hill, until 14 September.