Open your eyes, and really see
I often find that eyes are a source of inspiration for many
poets, artists or musicians. It’s an essential feature of the face, and often
draws the attention of a beholder. But not only is this a physical feature
which is captivating; sight becomes a metaphor for a greater level of
knowledge, seeing or understanding. There is a quote which says “The eyes are
useless when the mind is blind”. This describes perfectly the photography
project of Alex Dimmock. The project is a visual piece which we can admire, as well
as appreciate for its emotional depth which becomes present through the frame,
lighting and focus of the images. In this project Alex offers us a glimpse of,
and into, a subject. He reveals not only their physical features, but the
nuanced characteristics and expressions of a person and subsequently their personality.
Alex Dimmock, a talented linguist, traveller, photographer
and friend, simply began taking photographs of his friends and family as a
means to experiment with different lenses on his camera. This experiment soon
evolved into somewhat of a project and a study of the details in people’s
faces. Alex noted how his images revealed how the nuances of a person’s facial
structure represented their personality. In order to capture the true
mannerisms and expressions of a person, Alex created a comfortable and personal
atmosphere in which he instructed his subject to disregard the camera. He set
the camera on silent so that the camera shutter did not distract the subject
and simply encouraged an authentic conversation. “We're just having a conversation”, he
would say, “forget about the camera in-between us.”
As the project unfolded, there was a clear direction and
style which he wanted his images to embody. The celebrity portraits of Martin
Schoeller were a great inspiration to Alex as well as the portraits of National
Geographic photographer Steve McMurry. A key feature and source of inspiration
for his works was the proximity to the subject and the visual effect in which
the subject was almost drawn into the lens. This was a technique Alex wished to
incorporate into his photographs and contributed to the intimate nature of the
images, which ultimately reveals the essence of the subject in the intricate expressions
and details of their face and eyes. In fact, Alex stated that the eyes were a
feature of the face that he wanted to capture in great detail and wished to
feature them as a focal point. He reflects on the saying “The eyes are the
window to the soul” and so highlighting this feature was essential to his
project.
As I mentioned previously, Alex opens our minds as well as
our eyes. The project he says, offers us an intimate and unmoving insight into
a person’s facial expression which is usually only fleeting in a conversation.
It allows us to reflect on their personality which Alex believes is a direct
extension to their mannerisms. “Without knowing a person, you can fill in the
blanks, identify with their expression, imagine what they would like.” Whether
this interpretation is right or wrong, Alex believes that this study and
admiration of a face is something that we can invest more time into, and that
the details of a person’s face, an everyday person without alteration or
editing, is worth more of our attention.
In our society today, we are often exposed to endless images
of altered celebrities. The subjects are often embodiments of ‘perfection’ or
‘beauty’ and we are encouraged to strive for these ideals. This collection of
photographs was a breath of fresh air, and a reminder that there is a person
underneath the physical being. When we can consider both, and how these
physical and emotional elements come together to represent a unique and
individual person, we can start to appreciate how incredible the people around
us are. We are surrounded by people with a completely exclusive and personal
blueprinted face and body, and an equally intricate and distinctive nature. This
diversity is overwhelmingly awe inspiring and definitely worth more of our time
and attention. Thank you, Alex, for opening our eyes, and our minds.
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