These are some still life pictures I took of this man's possessions called Ken. Ken I met a short time ago and we became friends over a period of months. He has suffered a hearing problem from birth which has effected his life in so many ways. His father disowned him at childhood as he thought he wouldn't amount to much and he was also bullied many times at school.
Subsequently he took himself to Judo classes and became a black belt. Not only that but he has made a lovely family and achieved his electricians certificate later in life.
This series is running alongside a portrait series of Ken and his family home. I have tried to give meaning to his possessions by photographing them in a certain light so that they become more than just an object. I envisaged these possessions like they were on a theatre stage. Being lit by a single spot to give them not only a sense of seclusion but a feeling of being watched, admired, adored for their beauty.
I had been looking at Yousuf Karsh and his amazing portraits of people giving these people a feeling of iconic status, but soon realised through this project that I wanted Ken to show myself and the world his portrait of himself, giving the power back to Ken to create this portrait. We are all under the spotlight and on stage in ' Life ' and I think in a way we are all living our own portraits of ourselves or what we would like to portray to others around us and the world.
This is why I named this series of work ' What is your portrait of yourself ? '
Have a think about it and keep your eyes watching for the next series
Thanks for tuning in
Stuart
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