For my second photoshoot I wanted to bring to light the more clinical side of mental illness, focusing on the impact medication has on personality and the tedious nature of check-ups and hospital appointments.

To show the impact of medication, I decided to overlay both full and partially empty packets of pills over photos of me which I found in older family albums. This effect worked especially well where there is a translucent, empty pill packet over my face, which slightly distorts my face, with some doing this more than others; representing the effect that different medication can have.

I also wanted to include as many doctor’s notes and reports as possible as I think it highlights the sometimes overwhelming feeling that opening up can have. This also ties in with the older album pictures of me, as it shows the transition from a child with no worries to someone so consumed by mental illness that the only recognizable feature is their name on a piece of paper. Not only do these images help break up the more low-key lit images from the previous shoot, they also give context to the situation surrounding the subject and the story.

I am also intending to feature images with the old album photos early on in the book, then progressively have them feature less and less as it goes on, so the only images left will be ones featuring only the letters and pill packets to show the decent into a deteriorating condition.

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