Planning- Specification

For my first idea I am planning to focus on my grandfather who died when I was eight years old, I’m thinking of photographing all the objects that remind me of him and that are personal to me. I’m also going to look into his past and look at old photographs from when he was much younger. I came up with this idea during my research stage, I previously studied Phillip Toledano who dedicated a project to his sister who died when he was six. I found his photography inspiring and have decided to take influence from his ideas as I think they allow the photographer to express and connect on a personal level. Furthermore I think his images are very striking and captivate the viewer, they are simple yet manage to translate the emotion he must of felt. 

My second idea is to be developed around philosophical concepts of family. Many philosophers such as Aristotle have complex and detailed theories when it comes to the idea of family. I think it’s important to research into philosophy when concerning photographic ideas as they normally are two subjects which can be combined. Many photographers take a philosophical or ethical approach to their work. Some ideas I am thinking of developing further are Jean-Paul Sartre, Aristotle, Sigmund Freud and Kierkegaard. A title for this project I am thinking of calling ‘Illustrating thought’. I think this is an appropriate title because I am turning the works of philosophers into images which convey the same meaning; therefore I am illustrating thought. Through reading about their versions or ideas of families I can create photographs which reflect new concepts of the word that you would not normally consider.