A woman kisses her pet dog as canines look on happily, and her boyfriend sulks - now that's a picture that captures a couple. Multiple images, digital work and imagination create surreal but very true portraits, writes Jenny Hammond.Portraits can be staid, mundane and predictable affairs: awkward poses and bored children rarely add up to a fair picture of a family and its personalities.However, a new and creative type of portrait captures both the inner life and the story of a family, a couple or a person - all in a single image.The Alternative Portrait Project by Alexandra Diez de Rivera is a series of commissioned photographs of expat families in Shanghai, offering a rare and intimate glimpse into their lives."With this project I hope to shine new light on portrait photography," says the 30-year-old photographer. "I seek to reveal more than just the physical appearance of my subjects. I want to tell their stories, share their dreams, and capture the inner life of my subjects."Using multiple photographs and Photoshop to combine the images, the Spanish-Argentinean expat has come up with a special multi-faceted portrait.Examples of her work are on exhibit at Arch bar and restaurant; 12 photographs show the special character of 12 subjects.One of the most striking pictures shows a woman kissing her pet dog, as many other canines look on happily - and her boyfriend sulks."This lady is mad about her dogs, however, her boyfriend can't stand them," says Diez de Rivera. "I wanted to show the sarcastic side so I multiplied her three dogs and even gave the man a cup to hold with a picture of a dog on it to show that his life has been taken over by his girlfriend's pets."Another picture shows the photographer herself and her husband. "I photographed us in black and white, showing us both happy and angry. So it illustrates both sides of us."Another portrait shows a couple dancing around their apartment, kissing on the couch and chatting in the corner."They are a very sociable couple and often host parties. So I photographed them having their own personal party."With multiple pictures of the couple combined into the one image, "the room looks very busy but it is always of them."They were great models, Diez de Rivera continues, "the woman kept changing outfits and her hair for each picture so the end image was really effective."In terms of nuclear family photography, another pictures shows a family with all members looking up at the camera. "The image is quite eerie as every member of the family has the same expression on their face, even the cat. It took a lot of photographs to get them all looking the same way but the finished picture does not show that at all so it's quite powerful."Diez de Rivera charges 7,000 yuan (US$943) per portrait. Each shoot takes around four hours, and six to 12 hours of digital work are required afterward to make the picture perfect.The portrait project started with friends who were looking for someone to take an original photograph of them as a couple.She experimented with different ideas, including shooting the couple looking into a mirror and showing a different reflection. "I instead decided to make an image comprised of numerous photographs."After very positive feedback, the young photographer was encouraged to do more. "My friends were very happy with their pictures so they asked me to photograph their friends, and so the project took off."In each portrait, Diez de Rivera tries to tell a story. "I always have in my mind how I want to show people."Before each portrait, the photographer meets her "models" and speaks with them about what they like to do, so each picture can be a genuine reflection of the subject."The backdrops of my shots are important; I photograph my subjects in settings that share information about their personality and lifestyle."Every object in a photo is chosen to reveal a little something about its owner. Every detail - including composition, wardrobe, posture, expression - is art-directed to create a "mise en scene" that captures the unique spirit of each household.She uses a Hasselblad medium format camera and film (no digital portraits). "What really takes time is the set up of the lights and then afterwards the Photoshopping."The final photo can be made up of as much as 10 different photos. If I don't like the angle at which a cushion is placed I'll change it; if I decide an object is interfering with the sense of the photo I'll eliminate it. I also pay special attention to color and enjoy adding to the surreal aspect of my photos by playing with my palette."The images blur the line between real and surreal, so one's first impression is challenged upon closer inspection, she says."It is important for me that the digital modifications of my pictures don't go too far, so the only give-away that the photos have been tampered with is the fact the situations illustrated within them just can't be (real)."Although they are posed, the images convey a real sense of their subjects' life. "I think it is interesting, as in Shanghai you do not often get to see inside people's homes, so it is a nice little window into the expat life," says the photographer.