A Fresh Pair of Eyes

Going into my fifth week of self-isolation, I found myself mindlessly scrolling through old photos, looking to gather and recycle images; keeping my creative flare. Yet I soon realised, that despite my environment seeming overly familiar and dull, there is such much to capture in what I take for granted; my home and my town (in cold, rural northern England). Feeling like I needed to prove my point, I set out during the late evening light, seeking to produce a series exploring this idea of shifting perspectives and appreciating our immediate surroundings at a time when we're confined to them! 

Using my 35mm film camera and my digital bridge FZ1000 camera, I was able to capture images of varying, jarring subjects. All with a softness to them by capturing unique shadows, manipulating lighting, using a shorter exposure or adjusting the white balance to create warmth. I liked that I had photographed such mismatched, seemingly unrelated objects; a lonesome chandelier in the dark, the shadows cast across the surface of an new book, a crooked hand on a naked mattress, and so on. I loved that through the tones and textures, a sense of tranquility is felt in all the stills.

 I wanted this tenderness and intimacy within the contrasting images, to act as a reminder that what appears insignificant and lifeless, with the right perception, can be beautiful and admired, and thus in times like these, where the world seems broken, or at standstill, we still have the power to appreciate and be grateful for our unique, ever-changing realities.