Marie
a cineastic photography series
It´s surprising how many persons go through life without ever recognizing that their feelings toward other people are largely determined by their feelings toward themselves, and if you´re not comfortable within yourself, you can´t be comfortable with others.
Sydney J. Harris
assistance my family (partly shown in the pictures)
This project is a dramaticized personal observation of growing up rural. I had a very sheltered and generally happy childhood. But there was always a part of me that felt like it didn´t belong. In hindsight, it wasn´t the people surrounding me that made me not feel welcome, it was me.
composition
I created this cineastic photography series in a dark, but not intimidating style because it is generally very narrative. This supports the chosen topic of growing up. Trying to give an insight as detailed as possible, I chose to display six different settings. Those all have to do with growing up rural and my personal past: an old storage on my uncle´s farm, the church my parents got married in, my grandparent´s parlor, the pavilion where my cousins and I often met before going to “Schützenfest” and the beautiful landscape. I wanted this series to be as authentic and honest as possible.
Additionally, I tried to only choose outfits that also have a meaning to me. The red dress that I am wearing in the fourth picture is my prom dress. Also, I have owned the white dress in the following picture since 5th grade. I decided to not show too many props, but the ones present are carefully chosen. The doll sitting on the couch with me is actually one that my mum got, when she was a child and the shattered dishes were my grandma´s.
But what makes the series most special to me is that I was actually able to show a few of my family members.
