Dramatic and captivating, LA-based snapper Alex Prager's glossy portraits betray her previous career as a fashion photographer. Her images present women costumed with wigs and retro outfits in either mundane or inexplicable situations. While Desiree lies smoking on a '70s-style, patterned bedspread and Kate ascends from the subway, dazed, a fully clothed Annie shivers waist-deep in the ocean. Part Valley of the Dolls, part Desperate Housewives , the photographer's work is heavily influenced by cinema; the attacking flock of pigeons and '50s dress suit in Eve explicitly reference Alfred Hitchcock. Prager's use of vibrant colors draws viewers in, but the darker stories that lie beneath are what hold our interest.

-Lucy Davies