Over the course of the foundation, I have explored several mediums of photography that has pushed me towards a more selective style within my work. Through using people within a number of my projects, I have been able to differentiate how I can represent people either truthfully, or in a staged manner. For example, by experimenting with editorial photography, I feel I have learnt to make people feel more comfortable behind the camera, allowing me to create a truthful, and emotional connection between the subject and the viewer. Furthermore, through staged photography, like an advertisement, I have practised creating narratives and dramatic scenes to entice and attract a viewer to what the photos displayed. Overall, I have developed technically as a photographer, and have gained a greater sense of who and what I am interested in, and, although this is a very broad statement, I would like to dedicate my practice to the people and generations that will inspire and innovate those to come in the future, and similarly, to the generations that have failed their own and ones to come.

I feel at the moment, recently turning 18, where my friends have been going to different universities across the world, some staying put, some working so much that I forget they exist, I feel there is a roaring need for a greater sense of independence that echoes amongst the vast majority of adolescents. To an extent, this is unobtainable for the well raised, and family-centred 18 year old, as despite how independent they may be (or feel they are), it is highly unlikely they are able to care for themselves sustainably. For younger generations, and myself, a young male, this is a difficult pill to swallow. I personally do not like to depend on my father, for we have had a somewhat shaky history, and our family has had some difficulties in which I have felt so disconnected from him that he felt almost no more than a generous acquaintance, but, and I realised this with an interesting feeling of resentment, that I have no choice, for to ensure a steady foundation (that I probably underestimate the importance of) for life, I must remain under his financial, and structural! (housing included) support. None of this means to disregard the privilege that I have to say that I actually have these means of support, and some may argue that I am complacent to say that I don’t want it(sometimes), but then again, everybody’s situation is different, and for this reason, I will interview several males with or without their fathers, to explore their relationship, and discover the difficulties they may have experienced with masculinity, independence, and to generally get a greater insight into how they each view their upbringing. One thing that will be very important to my interviews is why they are without their fathers, I will be interested to see those who have never been supported paternally, and been forced to live without that dependency. I hope to gain a greater appreciation, and acceptance for my relationship with my father, despite the hardships that our relationship has experienced, but also, to realise something about my tendencies, that I may not have realised before by discussing how an absence of a father would have detrimented my life.

 

Exploring relationships acts as research in itself. My project aimed to help two people talk in a way that they wouldn’t usually, to help them to consider things about each other going forward. In relationships, it can be easy to take one another for granted, and this can sometimes be because we forget how nice it can be to receive a compliment from somebody that you don’t expect it from. My original research came from compiling a number of questions surrounding childhood upbringing, and how a teenager's perspective on their own parenthood has changed over the years. This research helped me to consider what kind of emotions and thoughts I wanted my questions to evoke, to allow me to create a collection of clear, simple, but provocative questions.

 

Over the course of the project, I definitely feel I have developed as a photographer. At several points, I felt awkward, and uncomfortable prying at other people's lives and relationships, but, over time, I felt a lot more comfortable, and a lot more like a photographer. My project was not to make people feel comfortable, and at first, I was trying to make pleasant looking and simple portraits, I soon realised that if I stood up to the challenge of trying to get people that I didn’t know that well to talk about their relationship, they would stand up to the challenge of submitting to the camera - it was an interesting exchange. I found myself at times, feeling invisible to my subjects, upon asking the questions, and directing some of the images, I felt present, but as my subjects became lost in their own conversations, it was if they forgot I was there - this I believe is one of the main successes of my project.

 

Reflection played a key part in my creative exploration. There were points upon looking back, that I had realised that my questions were too forceful, and did not allow my subjects to take the conversation into their own hands, this allowed me to feel a lot looser when shooting, as I no longer felt responsible for leading the conversation - allowing me to take more candid photographs.

 

Towards the end of my exploration, I was running out of time. I had originally planned to have six Fathers and Sons featured in a publication magazine, but less than two weeks before the deadline, I had done 5, but only three of them were usable. I soon realised I would only have enough time for four subjects, this project was the first that after finding out I didn’t have enough time to do what I originally planned I didn’t feel stressed, and this was because I was very happy with what I had achieved and gained from the project already. However, I shot one more time with Vincent and Phillip Sinden, using the same method I had used in the prior, successful shoots. 

 

Finalising my project, I had to think of a layout that communicated my relationships in the truest of forms. The compilation of sentimental, sensory, and heartfelt moments that I had captured gave me a sense of calmness that I don’t think I had felt before, and I really wanted my viewers to get a test of it. At first, I impulsively wanted to have large scale prints framed on a wall, but after considering my project further, and looking back through the photos, I decided that was unnecessary and inappropriate. My subjects had let me into their lives, they trusted me, with their words, houses, and pictures, and so sharing the project in such a way began to feel almost obnoxious. I want my viewers to feel as if they are being generously gifted with the knowledge of the interaction between two other people, and with this, I thought it would be a good idea to use an archival box, that my viewers can open slowly without having any expectation of what is inside. For the type, I used tracing paper, I was originally going to use plain white paper to create some sort of a booklet for each photo, but the use of semi-clear paper adds to this sense that the viewer is being slowly let into a life of another.

 

I believe I will continue this project, and explore other iterations of it for a long time, if not the rest of my life. It will be interesting to see my own shift in perspective when I become a father. Although I am very happy with the turnout of my project, I feel I could have shot with a lot more people if I didn’t try to direct the shots and conversations as much as I did at the beginning of the project, as at points I overthought the questions meaning they lost the effect I was hoping for.