Runaway Princess #5 Scorching Mirage

A friend recently pointed out that I rely too heavily on long takes in my compositions and encouraged me to experiment with scenes of focusing lens. While portraiture is technically straightforward, I find it uninspiring to create a simple likeness without incorporating creative alterations. I envisioned a princess draped in a red Arabic-style veil, lavishly adorned with intricate jewelry, as she ventures into a desolate desert. Her flowing dress is depicted billowing in the wind, forming a natural framework that draws attention toward her destination—a once-glorious palace of kings and gods, serving as a mysterious portal to another realm. The palace in the distance, however, is engulfed in flames, highlighting the princess's urgency as she hastens toward the crumbling monument before it succumbs to ruin.