Photographer

Sophie Foster

Winner of

Upper Secondary Category

Written Statement

Fragility can be described as damaged, easily broken and vulnerable. Because of this, I felt it was necessary to reflect on all avenues of the meaning to fully uncover the word. I believe that every object, every emotion and every person have an element of fragility to them. This in turn inspired me to show the reality in which weakness plays on human nature and our minds.

I have undergone a fair variety of struggle and hardship within my life, although because of this I am stronger. Therefore, I felt as though it would be appropriate to use Photoshop to creatively show that fragility may be shown on the outside, but often it is the inverse – hidden on the inside and covered by the strength of our physical masks.

I decided that in order to full portray my vision, it was necessary to use Photoshop manipulation. This wasn’t with an intention to completely change or overpower the photo, although it was used to create more intensity and hopefully portray a better story. This also evokes the viewer’s imagination and in turn challenges their perception of whether or not their own perception on the word matches or differs from mine. I decided that the black and white allowed for all distraction of colour to be eliminated, shaping the observer’s view and make them more aware of the message the images are trying to portray.