A neighbour's child

Back to Conceptual photography for a moment. I don't know how you are going to feel about this photograph and I was very slow to make it public, however I had it hanging in the Sirius Exhibition for a few weeks and I haven't been excommunicated so here goes.

When i was doing my last Photography course I had to come up with a Body of Work. I have spoken about this in previous posts. I dug deep into my own personal experiences for these images and most of them are very personal to me but can be interpreted by the individual in several different ways.

The Title of the body of work is "The veil that hides the future from us is woven by the Angel of Mercy". I got this saying from my father in law, R.I.P. The title of the image is "A Neighbours Child".

This image was inspired by a very sad and disturbing event. While out walking my dog along the shore on a wet October morning a few years ago I came upon the body of a young man who had hung himself.  It was along the stretch of shore in the photograph not from this tree.

I remember thinking that this wasn't my sadness, I wasn't the one getting the terrible news that day. Probably my mind helping me to deal with the situation. 

That is what this image is about. The veil over the lens is acting as a net curtain and I'm looking through a window into someone else's life. 

The rope juxtaposed with the swing are a haunting reminder of the events of that day. It makes me wonder if suicide by hanging has anything to do with getting back to a happy childhood place, worry and care free.

Camera settings Lens used Tamron 10 - 24mm@13mm, Exposure 1/200, f9, ISO 100

This will probably be my last post for a few days as i'm off on hols for a week and i don't think i will have internet access. I would love to hear other people's interpretations of this image if anyone feels like commenting below. Stay safe and well until we meet again.

Excuses

Excuses
We've had a bit of  hectic week here hence the reason for neglecting my blog. We were searching for a missing dog for 3 days. My brother John was looking after him for his ex-wife and kids and he escaped. Thank God there was a happy ending. Thanks to Social media, he was spotted and eventually found.

As I have no new material to show you I'm going to post some of my photos from the body of work I produced for my last College course. I showed you the first 1 in a previous post. The body of work is called "The veil that hides the future from us is woven by the angel of mercy".

This image is called 'Mourning and weeping"

Technically this isn't a great photo as the eyes aren't pin sharp but that's the beauty about conceptual or contemporary photography. Anything goes as long as it has a message  or meaning. The dullness in the eyes adds to the sorrowful look i was going for.

Camera settings, exposure 1/125sec, f5.6, ISO 100 Off camera flash was used

This image was changed to black and white using layers in photoshop and a mask used to uncover the red colour of the lips. Youtube is a great source for tutorials on this and anything else for that matter.

Next image, called "The Valley of Tears"

I used this image in my first post. When i started working on this body of work I wasn't sure where it was going. I was amazed at how much of my Catholic upbringing came out in the images. "Mourning and Weeping in the Valley of Tears" were words from a prayer 'The Hail Holy Queen' that my mother recited every evening to finish off the Rosary. It's engrained in my memory.

Camera settings, 1/15sec, f25, ISO 125

The last one I'm going to show you today is called "Shattered Dreams"

 

Camera Settings, 1/8000, f20, ISO 100

It's up to the beholder to take what they want from these images, it was a very personal journey for me but when you are looking at them keep the theme in mind. "The veil that hides the future from us is woven by the angel of mercy".