I don't know much about the camera Rick Ashley used to shoot his photo series. I can guess that he shoots with a large format camera but that is kind of a stab in the dark. I can tell however, that Ashley used lighting to shape and highlight his subject. His brother really pops out of each background because of back lighting, probably more than just the three point lighting but the key and the fill lighting shape the subject in each picture.
Rick Ashley uses this photos series to tackle preconceived notions about people with Down Syndrome. The subject, Ashley's brother, has down syndrome but is still just as much of a complex, emotional, and vulnerable being as the rest of us. These pictures are used to engage Micheal ( the subject) in becoming the prominent figures he portrays and the portrait. The pictures are also refute the modern stigma of Down Syndrome.
Upon first seeing this post I was immediately drawn to the idea that a disabled man was being portrayed as the strongest man in the world. I know from prior experience with people born with down syndrome and other conditions like it, that sometimes these people are looked at in a different light because of their condition. It seems like an important thing to me to not only promote people living with disabilities to be all they can be but also encourage people to step outside of themselves and look at people for who they are regardless of their disabilities. This calling people out in such an encouraging way to the subject is a really great call to accountability.
No comments:
Post a Comment