18-05-2023
'Escapism'
This project is a series of images around the experience of mental health. In this project I wanted to capture where my models go/ what they do to escape from their thoughts, things they do and places they go that make them feel safer and more at peace. Through this series of images, I wanted to create a dramatic and cinematic appearance, using lighting and the landscape around to portray this as well as post production, which I feel I did successfully. I also wanted to add symbolism in my images which I did with the landscape around and the objects throughout the photos. I really enjoyed this project as I feel as though it allowed me to learn new skills, it also
allowed me to problem solve when things didn’t go as planned, these things luckily turned out in my favour.
In this image I wanted it to be really dramatic and scenic, with my model looking into the abyss of the landscape, cliffs and ocean. My model said that she loves the ocean and waves as well as big skies as it is something that she relates to calmness. The vastness of the sheer cliffs and ocean symbolise the emptiness and struggles of my models depression and MS diagnosis gives her, as well as the gloomy storm looming above her.
In this image I wanted it to be cinematic and be quite dark and dramatic with the shadows and lighting in the photo. The cigarette is something that calms her when she is stressed or having anxiety, however, it is something that symbolises her BPD and Anorexia, that she has moved her anorexia addictive mindset and changed flipped that towards smoking. However doing this in her room is something that comforts her as it is her safe space and she feels engulfed in a hug of safeness in this place merged with the smoking.
In this image I have tried to create a more calm and soft image. The fluffy dandelion flowers are called wishes or fairies by people so with this I wanted to symbolise them as wishes, my model wishing for a more simple and calm mind from her OCD. On further inspection of the image I feel like the repeated large array of flowers convey the repetitive thoughts and anxieties of my models OCD but in a lot more calmer and less aggressive manner.