Context and Background

The year is 2007. I’m in my second year of University. I am studying an Undergraduate Degree in Visual Art, and I’m taking a digital photography class. I am tasked with making a photo book. The theme is portraiture. These are those images.

An essay should accompany this body of work, I’m told. There should be a theme that ties it all together. I have no idea what, or who to use as a portrait subject; other than those surrounding me in my class. I’m interested in the imagery evoked by an enormous cohort of “Gothic Metal”, and I use this as my basis, with my visual style leading more to Romanticism than Goya.

As we’ll see throughout this series of images, however; there’s a bit of obvious darkness throughout! Each image is inspired by a single song.

Image 2: Interlunar Dreams

This image is inspired by a meditative, mournful song by a band from my very own town, Adelaide. The most striking line in the song that inspired this image “To close my eyes and never rise / from interlunar dreams.”

There is heavy use of violin in this track, and it meanders through a range of evocative images ranging from fields, shores, and hospital beds. The “dreaming between moons” vibe that is a literal interpretation of someone slipping in and out of consciousness paints a picture of a sickly individual from the first person.

Where I do reshoot this today, I’d focus on that – fitful sleeping during the day, drenched in sunlight – the complete opposite of the selenium toning I went with for this image.

More About this image

Shot outside a Church, using a borrowed D80. I remain grateful for the loan of the D80 – it was the first time I played with a “real” DSLR, and it inspired me to buy my own.

The lighting for the shoot was a perfect, overcast day; and there was still enough light around to ensure a fast shutter could be used. A wide open Aperture also helped.