Family Photography

Many people have the perception that the word “family” is only representative of a specific archetype. When what people consider their “family” strays from this blueprint, some individuals may say that it is not a family or that it is “broken.” For me, my family includes my dad and I. We are not broken, however, and our strong relationship and my solid upbringing are the things that I am trying to emphasize in this project. I used family photographs of my dad and I and added text to convey various messages about what I believe a “family” truly is.
    In my first image, I tackled the perception that many people have about what a family really is. Many people may say that a family with only a father and a daughter is broken, but I think that they are misguided. Therefore, I added this text to my photo to bring forth this issue. In the second image, I filled a picture of my dad and I with synonyms for the word “support.” In my life, my father is my main pillar of support, and sometimes the only one who I can count on to take my side. He is always there for me, which is what true family should be. This image shows that there are many different ways at looking at one thing (as represented by the synonyms for one word), but that in the end, they are all the same. My small family gives me the same strong support that individuals with two parents and many siblings receive, just in a different form. My third image shows my dad and I in a large field with a quote that says, “family is one of nature’s greatest masterpieces” (George Santayana). In this image, I wanted to show that family is a strong entity, and even when you are up against massive things in this world (like large fields) you still have your family. I altered the image so that the background of the picture is black and white, and my dad and I are the only things in color. This shows that although nature has created some magnificent things, the love of a family the most everlasting and most important. The last image I picked shows my dad and I on top of a mountain, with text that says, “Wherever life takes me…my family will always be with me.” Not only does this show in a literal sense that my father is my travel companion and accompanies me on many adventures, it also lets the viewer know, figuratively, that whatever life throws at me (deep valleys= ruts in life; remote villages= uneasiness in the face of new challenges; towering cliffs= the good times in life) my family will always be there for me, and will never waver.
    My primary influence while creating these images was Carrie Mae Weems. I modeled my pictures after her by adding text to the images and appropriating the meanings of what one might see when looking at these images. I also was influenced in my project by Carrie Mae’s similarities to my family relationships. Carrie Mae has a strong relationship with her father, just like I do, and she is not afraid to let the good aspects of that relationship shine through in her images. This allowed me to confidently move forward in my decision to portray the positive side of the relationship that my father and I have.