Unwashed Life. Each of these images is carefully composed to carry its own narrative – whether a global issue or a real, unsweetened moment that looks ordinary at first glance but is the complete opposite at the second.
Why litter?
This image promotes the utter contrast of human responsibility and one of the biggest world issues – pollution. At first glance it just looks like a pile of litter in a park, but once you read the picture there's a bin right next to the pile, with “Why are you dropping litter?” printed on the side.
Lonely but not alone
Again, at first glance this just looks like a bustling shopping centre, when in reality it speaks volumes about loneliness and the rise of people it affects. In the centre is a man looking down at the floor in sorrow, yet not one soul acknowledges him.
Digital vs Nature
The boy on the left is glued to his phone, pulling an anxious face; on the right a boy enjoys nature and seems content. The meaning: everyone is too focused on their own lives to take a second to look around and enjoy life. Life moves too fast to worry about things you can't change.
Doppelganger
An odd sighting: two people dressed almost identically, sitting on benches in the same position on their phones. Fashion trends come along, but just because two people are dressed the same on the outside doesn't mean they have the same personality and soul inside. Looks are a big factor in how people are judged, instead of who they actually are.
Worry not what you do not have
In the foreground, a rugged man is clearly smiling just because he has some food – eating outside behind a building suggests he doesn't have anywhere else to go. In the background, a man in a designer polo and jeans walks by with a miserable look. It prompts the viewer to think about why he is unhappy.
Little things
I used a fish-eye lens to direct the viewer's eye to the centre – an old man feeding birds in a field. The story: even the little things in life can make a difference, to you and to others. It prompts the thought, “when was the last time I did something little like this?”
Overall it went very well. My images were highly cohesive, all contributing their own story while looking completely ordinary at first glance. The test shoot was paramount to my final results, as it let me refine my ideas and focus on what I was searching for.