Save Yourself: A Junior Narrative Diptych by Julia White (2011)

My photo narrative revolves around a young girl's savior complex. She has devoted her life to helping the people in her life cope with their problems; she provides hope and strength naturally, all the time. Her loved ones constantly rely on her, and she is always willing to help. Her ability to save others ultimately leads to her inability to save herself once her own life starts to shatter. She loses the one person she subconsciously and steadily relied on. Her personal identity is hollow, revealing her inability to face her own problems with the same strength she had given others. This is her point of no return.

The first photograph depicts the “savior complex” of the girl. The two holding hands depict the strength and reliance found in the girl in white. This is a close-up shot to really focus and emphasize her selflessness and “saving” abilities. The second photograph zooms out a bit, showing the girl in white laying on the ground, hopeless and empty. Its blue and gray tones evoke her desolation and sorrow, contrasting with the first photograph's warm tones. Also, the similar white aspects of both of the photographs are representations of her angelic persona. The arrows on the ground, initially unintentional, reinforce her life gone awry. She cannot save herself, she is abandoned and alone.