Photographer

Jake Frazer

Finalist in

Upper Secondary Category

Written Statement

As humans, we generally view the world with our own colour receptors; we translate light bouncing from objects in order to interpret them. Yet, the ability to see colour can often times be detrimental through it’s overwhelming nature. I believe that viewing the world through black and white is key to our understanding of fragility. black and white may represent life and death and an image captured in this monotone format will allow us to visualise the balance that is required for life. It allows us to appreciate that without death we would not appreciate life. Without sadness we would not appreciate happiness. Without fragility we would not appreciate strength.

Image one (1/125 f5 62mm ISO 1600) portrays this philosophy visually. As viewers, we cannot picture the subjects’ faces. A face being representative of fragility through imperfection. It demonstrates how fragility is not always obviously presented to us, but appears often through what cannot be seen. Whilst the main focal point in this image is the driver, passengers act as vectors. The very style of shoe they wear is representative for how fragility is not just a characteristic of the old, but the new.

I stumbled upon image two (1/100 f5.6 102mm ISO 200) by accident, but the purposeful vignetting of leaves not only acts to draw eyes to the focal point, but allows the audience insight into what the subject is viewing. Despite having food and even reading material she is simply admiring and contemplating her environment – her appreciation of fragility allowing access into such wisdom.

Image three (1/200 f3.5 18mm ISO 100) represents the balance of life. The surrounding hedges support life and sustain the environment, in contrast to the last remaining atomic bomb building in Hiroshima, a reminder of death. The use of a natural backlight produces a glow to elevate importance.