My personal study will focus on mental illness and the different areas that it can affect, such as; education, home life, work, whilst also capturing the different 'levels' in a sense, from somewhat mild emotional distress, to more severe issues that sometimes require hospitalisation. Throughout this project I am going to investigate how not only the effects of mental illness affect the sufferer, but also how they are portrayed to the people surrounding them. I feel that this fits the stimulus of 'Occupation v Liberation' as people can often be overtaken by these illnesses, but CAN be 'liberated' through recovery, likewise they could be occupied by the stigma of mental illness, more than the illness it self. 

The reason I chose mental illness as my personal study was based on my own journey with it. I have spent over two and a half years known to Jerseys mental health services, and hospitalised numerous times, but despite this, between age 15, and my 18th birthday, the 17th August 2019, I had gained a childcare qualification, volunteered at 6 different places, worked 5 different jobs and made it through my first a level year. Recovery was made a very real possibility. Liberation.

During this I am going to use a mixture of self portraits, both on my own and including some of the people closest to me, and old archival imagery to show the progression of time, and how long, and how hard, this 'occupation' is. In order to do this so that I too am in the image I am going to have to put my camera on to the self timer setting, adjusting the shutter speed and iso to the type of lighting i am using, and how bright it is. I am also going to try to take inspiration from Francesca Woodman and manipulate my images to try to convey emotional state.  

However, due to the subject of mental health, and mental illness being extremely sensitive subjects I am going to have to ensure that with every photoshoot, and every justification of my images, I keep to the forefront of my mind that there is an extremely thin line between representative and offensive.  

Niall McDiarmid:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Niall McDiarmid’s use of vibrant colour in some photos, in direct contrast to the lack of colour in others tells a very interesting story. Combine this with clear shapes and an incredibly effective use of shadows, and the result is images with a real sense of both abstraction and realism at the same time. McDiarmid primarily focuses on documenting the people and places of the UK. McDiarmid said in an interview with Wobneb Magazine, “I didn’t have the intention of using colours as a base for the work. However after a few weeks, I realized that it was something I had an eye for.”

Image Analysis:

McDiarmid’s has said in the past that colour is a very influential part of his photographs, and that basing his images around shapes and colours influence his style of photography. This is especially evident in my chosen photograph, as it ties shapes and colours together very well. All of the vibrant colours play on one another, and even though the yellows are slightly different shades, there is enough similarity to tie the whole image together. For instance, even though the trees are not completely yellow, the autumnal oranges in the trees make the image seem much more complete, as the way the image has been composed to feature a yellow/orange detail in the top, bottom, left and right of the image. It is clear that McDiarmid as meticulously thought about the composition of his shot, even down to the yellow packet of cigarettes next to the subject. This is more evident when you consider the way the image makes you look at the subjects face using the leading lines in a slightly more abstract way through colour, drawing the viewers eye to the center of the image, with the yellow items around him acting like arrows pointing at the face of the subject.

leif sandberg

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Leif Sandberg lives in Stockholm, Sweden and work as an art photographer. His photography have been showed in several exhibitions, at Gallery Ralf, Landskrona Fotofestival and Fotografiska, Stockholm. The first book Ending (2017) dealt with panic and getting old and the latest book, Beyond the Mirror (2018), continues where Ending ends and moves into unknown territories. His photography is self reflective and explores ones inner self and is open for interpretations by the viewer. He has studied Art, History & Art Philosophy at the Stockholm University and participated in workshops with Anders Petersen, JH Engström, Margot Wallard, Antoine D’Agata and Roger Ballen.

Image Analysis:

Sandberg’s Image definitely follows in line with his style and recurring themes of reflection self-exploration. Here he uses a slow shutter speed combined with multiple exposures to create a ghostly reinterpretation of himself. This technique is very effective in creating the high contrast, low key atmosphere that Sandberg is known for. The way that Sandberg has used lighting to create the dark shadows over his eyes also adds to the idea of aging and the thoughts that surround it, making the subject look decayed and rotting. However, this technique also slightly dehumanizes the subject (Something that I think Sandberg has done intentionally) to show that this could be anyone, and shows the inevitability of death, similar to that of Vanitas still-life paintings of 17th century. Sandberg’s images feature many elements of surrealism, which is especially clear, especially in this image which Sandberg named “Before Take Off”, and is part of a collection which Sandberg made into his first book called “Beyond The Mirror”. He has since made another book which continued the themes of aging, death and self-reflection called “Ending”. Sandberg’s concepts around the inevitability of death, futility of life and the unwavering nature of aging are all shown in this one specific image. It’s surrealist nature makes it eerily unsettling to observe, and to me represents how people can still be ghosts without necessarily dying, which only strengthens his concepts mentioned earlier.