Image 1

This image by Leif Sandberg is part of a series of images in one of Sandberg’s books called “Beyond The Mirror“. Sandberg has stated in the past that his inspiration for starting photography was due to a cancer scare, which had several lasting effects on his mental health. Many of his images in this series revolve around anxiety, panic attacks, depression and the omnipresent nature of death. The Image I have chosen represents not only Sandberg’s style, but also the conceptual themes and ideas mentioned previously which are common throughout his catalog of many images. The image uses several photographic techniques, combining multiple exposures and a slow shutter speed to create a ghost like appearance.

This is also a way to help show show the intangible nature of emotion and this image definitely shows all of the emotions that Sandberg says he wants to portray. Sandberg’s use of shadows and shading helps to make the subject more anonymous (which was most likely an intentional decision by Sandberg), and not only opens it up for interpretation to the reader, but also adds to the idea of aging and the thoughts that surround it, making the subject look decayed and rotting. This can be linked directly to the Vanitas still-life paintings of the 17th century, especially in the way it tackles the somewhat taboo topic of death.

Sandberg’s images feature heavy elements of surrealism (which is connected to the forward thinking avant-garde movement), as they try to explore ideas around the mind and emotions which cannot be traditionally photographed, but rather must be represented in other ways such as through objects and concepts. Sandberg’s image could be interpreted as a representation of death itself, and how his cancer scare made him come “face to face” with it.

Image 2

This image is taken from Sandberg’s first book “Ending” which focuses more on the emotions surrounding life before death, instead of the more abstract concepts which feature in his second book “Beyond The Mirror“. This means that his images from this series are much more grounded in reality. Despite this, Sandberg still creates emotions and feelings which cannot be traditionally photographed. This photo contrasts the previous image as it is much more personal than the first picture as it focuses on Sandberg’s own mental state, rather than exploring concepts in a specifically abstract way.

This image feels more personal than the previous photos, as you can fairly clearly identify the man in the photo as Sandberg, where as the other image is up for more interpretation and encourages people to think and question themselves, rather than view the images as Sandberg’s personal experience. Location also grounds this photo in reality, as opposed to the indeterminable blackness of the first image. This helps create a sense realism which is missing from the other photo, and which can be described as completely surrealist, however despite having surrealist elements, it is clear to see how this image is meant to be a retelling of events from Sandberg’s life, or perhaps more accurately, feelings from his life.