The brief for my assignment is to create a series of images for an autism awareness campaign. Images will be displayed in a similar way to an advertising campaign, through social media and on posters in areas of busy traffic such as shopping centres and doctors’ waiting rooms. My submission, featuring Bonnie, an autistic teenaged girl will complete the first stage of the campaign. I have chosen to start the campaign with a girl as to challenge the idea that autism is a mainly male disability.
Lorna
Wing’s paper on sex ratios in early childhood autism states that among people
with 'high-functioning autism' or Asperger syndrome there were 15 times as many
males as females., In people with learning difficulties as well as autism
however, the male to female ratio was closer to 2:1.
“This could suggest that, while women and girls are less likely to
develop autism, when they do they are more severely impaired. Alternatively, it
could suggest 'high-functioning' women and girls with autism have been under
diagnosed, compared to men and boys.” (Wing L. 1981)
The key diagnostic
features of autism are difficulties in social interaction, social communication
and imagination, however factors such as obsessions and sensory sensitivities
also play a key part. Due to behaviour issues arising from these difficulties
and a fear of social situations, life for autistic people and their families
can become quite isolated, leading to a lack of knowledge and understanding
from society as a whole. For this reason, I felt that the home was an ideal
setting for my project.
Photographing
Bonnie in her home, I observed her behaviours and discussed with Debbie, her
mother the impact autism has on Bonnie and the family as a whole. Due to
Bonnie’s reduced ability to understand and follow instructions, my images are
mainly documentary in nature, however we did manage to use some set up
situations.
I feel
that most people with an understanding of autism would easily grasp the message
in my images, however in order to extend to a wider audience, some explanatory
text is used. Xyza Cruz Bacani pairs images with text in her project, ‘Humans
of Makati’ to give an insight into the world of the city’s locals; the accompanying
text gives a quote or some information on their hopes and aspirations as well
as their views on Makati. I like that a few short sentences shows a relatively
in depth view into the individual’s character; I feel that the direct quote
from those photographed gives a direct link to that person’s thoughts and
feelings, adding to the content of the image.
The text
that accompanies my images gives a fuller understanding of what each image
represents, leaving enough ambiguity to allow the viewer to add their own
interpretation based on personal experience. I have used quotations from
Bonnie’s family, aiming to keep the quotes direct and to the point in a bid to
inform, without swaying the viewer’s ability to read the image objectively.
Considering
each aspect of Bonnie’s experiences with autism, I have aimed to omit any
visual distraction by closing in on the action and using a shallow depth of
field, directing the viewer’s gaze towards the intended part of the image.
The most
rewarding image for me personally was a close up portrait of Bonnie wearing the
earphones, which protect her from sensory overload. As I took the shot, Bonnie
stared intently into the lens. Eye contact is something that autistic people
often struggle with so I felt privileged that the black mass of technology
between us enabled such a connection. The direct eye contact reminded me of
Steve McCurry’s Afghan Girl, giving me hope that the viewer may get a glimpse
into Bonnie’s world through her intense gaze.
“What her
intense, sea-green eyes told the world ... a thousand diplomats and relief
workers could not. The Afghan girl’s stare drilled into our collective
subconscious and stopped a heedless Western world dead in its tracks. Here was
the snare of truth. We knew her instantly, and we could no longer avoid
caring.” Robert Draper?
I would
dream of creating an image with such power.
I
have created a series of images, which I feel represent autism as Bonnie
experiences it and would like to return to this topic and explore autism
through the eyes of others. The enormity of this challenge with such a myriad
of difficulties, manifesting in so many different ways would be far too great
for this assignment, but one I would love to continue in the future.
Evaluation:
Demonstration of technical and visual skills
Each image
that I have chosen represents a different aspect of daily life for Bonnie and
her family. Due to limited space and light, I retained a large aperture
throughout in order to maintain the fast shutter speed required to photograph
Bonnie’s sporadic movement; using flash was not an option. I have used a
variety of compositions and made the most of the shallow depth of field by
using it focus on the aspect or activity I aimed to show.
Quality of outcome
Although
my images show a great love and closeness between Bonnie and her mum, Bonnie
has a reduced awareness of personal acts that show that we care for someone;
her caring nature however does extend to the pets. I have aimed to show
different aspects of the mother/daughter relationship, as well as their methods
of communication, equipment used and a brief glimpse into daily life for Bonnie
and her family. I had anticipated that photographing an invisible disability
would be difficult so had prepared some ideas beforehand, although with autism
being so specific to the individual, I also took advice from Bonnie’s mum as to
which elements she felt it relevant to show. Some images were more spontaneous,
taken while observing Bonnie throughout the day.
Demonstration of creativity
The book, Expressive Photography, the Shutter Sisters’ Guide to
Shooting from the Heart gives a wealth of practical advice about shooting
details, which I felt would be important for this assignment. I feel that their
advice, twinned with making the best of difficult space and lighting have
enabled me to produce a varied and creative set, focusing on the key elements
required for purpose. Images showing the
rocking chair, telling the time and writing are examples of closing in on the
details in order to emphasise a point. I feel that the final image with Bonnie looking
directly to camera is given more resonance in its contrast to the other images
in which Bonnie is oblivious to the camera.
Context
Research for this assignment, aside from that on autism has
covered visual storytelling & conceptual photography, presenting images
with captions and studying photographers portraying invisible and mental health
issues in their work.
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