This photo shows despair through storytelling.
When we hear the word despairwe think of hopelessness, sadness, or even death. I chose the dead leaves, brush and burnt distressed journal to symbolize despair. These things are hopeless because they will not go on in life. I chose to place the notebook on top of the dead brush making sure the journal was facing the left side as if it were discarded accidentally. The distressed journal is a symbol of storytelling. Storytelling is defined in many ways, storytelling goes far beyond a book from the library. We define our own story throughout own personal life experiences. Journals are a unique way to learn about another person and their story. I chose to shoot at an eye level and close up on the journal. I wanted to capture all of the textures of the burnt pages of the journal where someone's story once lived. The dead leaves and brush which are the background as well show despair by adding the feel of being forgotten. With the lighting, I wanted to make sure the sun's natural lighting was shining on the journal's right side to make it pop out more. This side has the most distress and leaves/brush on it. During my Photoshop process I was able to give the burns and distressing on the journal a cleaner look. I also enhanced the look on the yellowing and brown of the burns. My Photoshop process also helped bring the red out on the journal creating a brighter look and made my dead brush and leaves look sharper and more clear. The Photoshop process helped show how we see one's personal experiences which were once living amongst the pages of this journal. The Photoshop process helped me create a destroyed journal with a story that has no hope in ever being able read these stories or understand this person’s journey.
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