She poses all herself. I might be mistaken, but she seems quite reclusive and enigmatic, though she was kindly willing to allow me to interview her over email (most of the information she gave me she asked that I didn't make public.)

I haven't tried Darktable yet, but I've heard it's a pretty solid piece of software. I've been hooked on Lightroom myself. I do quite a bit of editing for tonality, color, contrast, cropping, and sharpness, but that's mostly because the large files I get from my camera are completely flat and lifeless because it preserves so much information. I really do love editing, and I think one day I may or may not get back into composites, but not until I feel I've made my point and explored every facet of my current project. If anything, I might get more physical if I use multiple photographs, perhaps making collages by hand with the photographs I take and print out.

Take care, Jaro! Looking forward to seeing your work continually improve and discovering which direction it leads you. :)