[description: four girls in pajamas lounge around the living room during a sleepover]
If you were to ask me, in all my years of shooting clones, what my most memorable clone shot has been, it would have to be Slumber Party and its sequels. I completed the trilogy six years ago, concluding a project I began in 2010 with a slumber party-themed clone shot in my bedroom. The following year, I produced a sequel, Slumber Party Massacre, which evolved into an elaborate series of shots. Then, in 2013, I followed that up with Slumber Party Campout, a return to the project's simplistic roots, albeit with a novel twist.
I feel the series had, at that time, reached its organic conclusion, and so I did not have any plans to shoot any new Slumber Party images. Nor is the image I present to you today to be considered another sequel - it's more like a remake of the original image. Not note-for-note, but a revival of the spirit of the original: a single image depicting four girls with different personalities, wearing different pajamas, having a sleepover.
I didn't have any grand plans for this shot; the idea of doing a Slumber Party remake after all this time just came to me (as the original idea had) while thinking about how fun it would be to model the different types of outfits girls wear to bed. And unlike the original series, where it was part of the challenge and the excitement to go out and find the right clothes, this time I had everything I needed right in my own closet.
I must say, I am amazed at where I am right now. Life is unpredictable, you know? If you'd told me when I shot the first Slumber Party image where I'd be now, I wouldn't have dared to believe you. But here I am. A lot can change in nine years, but doing this shot again reassures me that there are some things that never change. Those are the things we hold on to, to anchor us in the tempestuous sea of life. Because you never know when an errant wave is going to unexpectedly toss you onto the shores of Paradise. And when that wave hits, you want to surf it for as long as you can.
[description: two girls in pajamas have a conversation while sitting on the couch]
A lot of the elements in the image at top are inspired by observation (so, a little bit less fantasy, and more reality), and then shuffled about. Since the personalities of the girls were an important aspect to the original image, let me introduce you to the new generation. The girl in the center of the image, sitting in the brown chair, is The Gamer. She wears glasses, is dressed in a comfortable pair of shorts and a t-shirt, and loves creating families on The Sims. Behind her, and on our right, is The Influencer, a social media superstar who records everything she does for likes. She's wearing a cute, mermaid-themed night shirt, and is liable to curl up next to a wall outlet where she can plug in her phone charger and stay connected all night long.
On the left side of the image, sitting on the tan couch, is the Early Developer. She's the most mature and well-adjusted of her friend group, and can frequently be seen trying to mend rifts between the other girls. Although you can't see much of it, she's wearing an elegant black nightgown that is rather more adult than what her friends are wearing. Finally, lying on the mattress along the bottom of the image is The Heavy Sleeper. I was originally going to make her The Party Girl (although I'll maintain that they could be one and the same). She hasn't put too much thought into what to wear, opting sensibly to sleep in her underwear (and why not?). Her hair is done up in braided pigtails.
I notice only now, looking at the final image, that most of the girls' faces are obscured, looking away from the camera. This wasn't intentional. I was going to do different makeup looks for each of the girls, even down to switching their nail polish, just because I wanted to go all out and cover every detail. But when it came time for the shoot, I had so much work to do putting the whole thing together, that I decided not to bother. Considering what little impact it would have had, I feel justified in my decision that the reward wasn't going to be worth the cost.
Ultimately, what I wanted to achieve with this photo was to produce the best slumber party image I've created yet. Not because the idea is any different, or the outfits are any better, but in deference to my additional years of experience both as a model and a photographer. And you know what? I think I've succeeded. If there's one good thing about revisiting old themes, it's that you have the opportunity to improve upon yourself. You can't always match the magic of the original, but sometimes, you succeed. Of course, this may be a matter of opinion. So, what do you think? Is this my best Slumber Party image yet?
[description: four nude figures lounge around the living room during a sleepover]
I'll leave you with this alternate reality take on the above slumber party, retrieved from a parallel dimension in which nudism is mainstream. As is usually the case with clone shots, I went through the poses and positions of each of the clones after I'd composed the frame, but before I got all dressed up for each individual clone, to get an idea of how the shot would look, and make sure I had enough space for each clone to fit in the frame. I decided in the moment that this would be an excellent opportunity to do an alternate version of the image in which each clone is nude.
And that's it! I don't have any further plans to recreate either Slumber Party Massacre or Slumber Party Campout, or to specifically do any more slumber party images. I intend this one to stand on its own. But you never know. As always, I reserve the right to change my mind. But for now, I hope you've enjoyed this Slumber Party remake, featuring a new generation of girls!
