How does Phillip Toledano explore notions of change, fate and Absence in his work?

“One body, One soul, One density”

During my personal study I have looked at and been inspired by the work of Phillip Toledano, a male photographer who is probably best known for his work dedicated to his father’s final chapter. In this essay I will be focusing on the ways that Toledano explores change, fate and absence in his work and how this can be linked to and understood within realism and straight photography. I will be particularly focusing on his project entitled ‘Days with my Father.’  Within this process, I will also be creating links to my own personal study, which also investigates and reflects upon the fate, absence and specifically change within my Granddad’s life. Within my essay I would like to particularly explore how Phillip uses these to create a story and how they all form a relationship and link with one another. Photography is a medium that possesses the precious ability to influence and transcend past, present and future, we are capable of documenting the present, easily comparing the past and predicting the future. I would also like to explore emotion and how this is used in photography to tell a story through tackling personal issues, specifically concentrating upon family and change within them. The work included within my book has been my method of documenting and expressing my emotions in addition to my granddad’s story. With the conclusions drawn from this analysis, I can hopefully proceed to evaluate whether my work has accurately portrayed issues of change and fate shown through photography.