My Heritage // Step-Brother

As I have previously explained, in 2012, I was introduced to a boy who would soon become my step-brother. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I no longer see Noah and very much doubt I will in the near future, causing me to cut short my exploration of his condition. Noah suffers from ADHD just as I did as a kid, however, Noah suffers in a different way that I did as we suspect there is an element of Asperger or autism combined with it. Crucially, I photographed Noah with the intention that he reflected me for when I was his age as we shared similar qualities, the more obvious being male, however, covertly, both our parents are separated, we both suffered from ADHD and we both had a parent involved in relationship which cared for us. Noah was almost a reincarnation of me from my younger self, making him a helpful tool for what I was trying to portray.

My aim with this shoot was to capture images of Noah, a physical symbol of a younger me in the kind of surroundings I grew up in and the surroundings he is growing up in now. I want capture images that connote the emotions that I was feeling when I was Noah’s age as I come to terms with difficult childhood.

In this selection of images, I have pictures from our snowboarding trip at Christmas 2017 to France, Le Marais and general ones of Noah from around the house.

Social Circle

On the subject of describing how it was difficult for children to fit in with ADHD or from disadvantaged backgrounds, I have decided to capture how I have fit in by photographing everything around me. My aim is to capture my friends, their hobbies and some of their homes and how this has made them who they are, just like their influence has changed a part of me in way or another. The idea is by me photographing everybody individually, I hope to grasp this concept of sub narrative, a smaller, less generic and more personal method to depicting a narrative. Overall, after photographing my peers and their typical environments, hopefully their unique lives can be reflective of mine and demonstrate how school can bring and unify a variety of different people.

This shoot is extremely different to my others as I attempted to show my friend’s fashionable side. Ben’s main concern is his appearance and that is why he is “reppin'” his Stone Island jumper and Busy Boi tee-shirt. I tried to convey everybody in a way that I thought reflected them and for me this is Ben’s.

Personally, I couldn’t have captured a more reflective image of Ben in the studio as I did here as in the foreground, we have a teenager in light and focus. However, in the background there is a dominant shadow which cats over Ben and from my own knowledge and relationship with Ben, I know his family life has caused problems for him. These two identities are also examples of his zodiac star sign as a Gemini, with two sides to his personality.

Golf is played by three of my friends and me up at La Moye, a very different environment to the sort of images I usually capture. Stereo-typically, golf is played by the wealthier in society as the equipment and memberships are expensive, however, fortunately for me, I have two exceptionally gifted golfers who receive the membership for a cut price and can bring a friend each. I often tag along. The golf course over looks Saint Ouen’s bay so it was a good time to capture some images with the wintry sun setting at about five o’clock.

My big friendship group of boys finds itself often with a group of girls from JCG, with my girlfriend being a member of this clique. Our weekends are frequently spent in somebody’s house for a civilized “sesh” where we drink and play some sort of board games, probably order a take-away. Here are some images of a night spent at my friend Jay’s.

My first home visit was Charlie before we went to play golf, waiting for time to go by before we could tee off. I wanted Charlie to relax and feel as though I wasn’t there, or at least there without camera.