Photostory inspirations

Noemi Filetti
7 feb 2018
Tempo di lettura: 3 min

I have started to look some practitioner's works that may be helpful for the development of my personal project. The real challenge of my story will be building a confident relationship with my subjects, especially Emily, who will be the real protagonist. I have not found any project focused in particular on the life of someone living with a disabled relative, however I think this is not extremely relevant since what I can learn most from the masters is how to communicate the subject's emotions and how to tell his own life through my pictures. I made a selection of projects involving people with disabilities, visualizing which elements of their everyday life are included in the projects in order to document their life in deep with intimacy, respect and sensitivity.

Sharon - Leon Borensztein

Leon Borensztein, a Polish-born photographer and single father, lived this challenging tale. He began photographing his disabled daughter, Sharon, before she was born. Now, approximately 30 years later, he's still going.

“This is a very personal project about my daughter that I love very much and I am very protective of her,” he said. “On the other hand, I am trying to be an observer and document her abilities and disabilities as objectively as possible.”

The Autism project - Kate Miller

The photographer Kate Miller-Wilson emotionally explores the ins and outs of living with autism. With her 10-year-old son Eian as her muse, she captures captivating portraits that reveal the day-to-day reality that life on the spectrum entails.

In her autism photo series, she documents the poetic and unique way that Eian experiences the world. Whether he's gazing out a glowing window, exploring the outdoors, or sitting with his eyes closed, there is a quiet calmness to his demeanor and a striking stillness in the photos.

Some of the photographs are candid, while many others—particularly those that feature Eian on the other side of some sort of barrier—are pre-planned. In addition to the interesting aesthetic that the obstructing ice, glass, and plants provide, Miller-Wilson strategically stages these photos for another reason. “Interestingly, it’s easier for him to make eye contact with my camera in shots like that".

Echolilia - Timothy Archibald

The title is derived from echolalia, a technical term for the copying of sounds and sentences common in children, like his son, who suffer from some form of autism. “I knew he was tuned differently and I needed to build a bridge, get inside his head, learn what made him tick.’’

This would not be a standard documentary project in which he turned his camera on the boy at any and every opportunity, to chronicle his life. Instead, father and son, would collaborate, in formal shooting sessions that rarely lasted more than 5 or 10 minutes but were regularly scheduled and initiated by an object or notion that interested Eli.

With a digital camera, photographer and subject could examine each image immediately. Sometimes Eli would have an idea for a more interesting pose or setting. Mostly that was Mr. Archibald’s job. He might suggest that they try the shot again at a different time of day or in a place with different light. The collaboration “satisfied something deep inside both of us,” Mr. Archibald said. “We shared — I don’t know what — mutual respect?’’

Light mattered. And simple settings. And contrast. And composition.

All the pictures are set at home, why only at home? “That’s where the tension was; that’s where I was trying to be a parent and feeling I was doing such a bad job of it,’’ Mr. Archibald said. “This is not about Eli in the world.’’