In an attempt to help me solidify what I want my final photos to tell everyone about me; I’ve decided to anatomise old and fairly recent photos of myself so I can have a greater understanding of what photos can tell you about people; more specifically yourself.
I wanted to start off with this photo as even though this photo is very minimalistic and simplistic; to me, it holds a lot of meaning. This photo was taken about two weeks after a having my last and final spinal surgery after living in and out of hospitals for the first 13 years of my life in an attempt to straighten out my spine. I’ve always been good at biting my tongue when it came to pain, growing up I had to learn extremely quickly that I have to be accustomed to pain and this photo illustrates that. My smile in this photo is bittersweet as I’m glad to be released from hospital however that doesn’t minimise the pain I was feeling at that moment.
I chose this photo to analyse as I feel this photo represents a turning point in my life. Growing up I suffered from anxiety and had an immensely difficult time talking to people, so in my high school years I never really had any supportive reliable friends. When I left high school I did subsequently make friends who I adore and still in contact with 2 and a half years later, however, I still had a hard time befriending people outside of college much like in my early years. This was ’till I met these four individuals (and another who wasn’t available to take this photo). These people were the first people I had the courage to speak to on my own and keep a friendship with. In no way am I saying that my college friends are invaluable to me I just wanted to present a rare moment where nearly all of us were together. What is most compelling in this photo is that you can see that we’re outside the HMV Store in Oxford St. Standing exactly where we met 14 months prior.
I’ve always felt that animals were easier to interact with growing up. Most animals you can get as pets are loving and hold no judgement at first sight, unlike humans. Here we have a photo of me and my cat, this was taken a couple weeks after I had bought him and I believe this is an accurate illustration of my appreciation for animals; specifically my cat. As sad as it sounds my cat was my only caring friend at the time I got him.
This photo was taken by a friend at Golders Hill Park, I’ve always had my head in the clouds and this photo is illustrative of that. I didn’t even see my friend taking the photo I was just starring out into the water and really taking in the water and my view. From the age of 14, I have been practising mindfulness to help me deal with my anxieties and worries. This photo is a representation of my mindfulness.
In this photo, you can see some of my friends from the photo from earlier. This photo was taken after my friends and I went to see a band called real friends. I was adamant about going at the time as I was dealing with some problems related to some childhood friends, so this photo is demonstrative of the importance in stepping out of your comfort zone. If you look closely you can see me with a wide genuine smile.
This photo analysis research was very challenging, primarily due to me not having any photos of me in my childhood. This was because my mum didn’t want to take photos of me “suffering”. So I worked with what I had. I know this analysis requires 10 photos however it was hard enough finding the photos I have already.
Tehreem Hussain 