photographer photograph their family

When photography photograph the family the image become can be seen as a more intimate experience furthermore the image into a much more personal and long lasting internal narrative due to the photographers deep involvement with the photograph. Photographer such as Larry sultan depicts this notion well, as the relationship between him and his parents are skilfully portrayed.

A series from James Russell Cant Divided Ocean is a series of portraits of individuals, including his own farther, who have migrated to Great Britain by ship. The collection uses the sea and tide as metaphors, to consider the sprit of the individuals who take on not only the benefits of migration but face its inherent divisions of time, space and self. The photographs themselves are composites, palimpsests of twenty-four images. Made over a period spanning high water, they record duration as each person returned to, and was photographed at the approaches to their port of arrival. As an island notion these waters not only act as conduits for travel but also as sublime barriers. Ebbing and flowing, they are a metaphor for the sometimes hidden confrontation between past, present and future as the forces of rootedness battle with those of movement. Whilst celebrating the diversity of a nation, born out of its maritime history the series attempts to consider British migration through an empathetic imaging of each individual narrative. 

(Image issue 419)

Basil: George Town, British Guyana to Southampton 1960

Simone: Uetze, Germany to Dover 1998

Wallace: Birchip, Australia to London 1936

Lottie Davies‘s memories and nightmares project is a series comprised of portraits conceived out of a retelling of individual early childhood memories or nightmares. Lottie takes others recollections and uses them as inspiration for a series of stunning images. She explains; we all have our own tales and myths which we use to describe our lives and in many ways memories are an essentially human experience which over the years can often change. In recounting nightmares some people remember a clear narrative others only a feeling or location. The surreal or impossible elements of the dream are often the most fascinating. In these images I aim to celebrate these fantastic, crazy and brilliant stories and encourage them to tell us more about ourselves.

(Image issue 403)