Initail Ideas - Clare Gallagher

Clare Gallagher is originally from Northern Ireland and studied photography in London, Canterbury and Belfast, earning an MFA Photography with distinction. She has been a photographer lecturer since 2003 and bases her work on the everyday in photography and focuses on experiences within the home. Her work has been exhibited in Europe, North America and Asia. Featured in The Guardian, Lenscrach and Source Photographic Review. In 2013, she presented a solo exhibition of Domestic Drift at Galeria H2O in Barcelona. In 2014, her work was shown at festivals in Paris and in Belfast. Gallagher curated an exhibition of new Northern Irish photography for Backlight Photo Festival, Finland.

I have chosen this photographer as she shows the simplicity of childhood and the details which often go unnoticed. Her photos use natural lighting to show the natural way in which children act. Gallagher focuses her photographer on the experiences within the home therefore I have chosen to take inspiration from her as through my project I will focus on the everyday experiences of children.

This photograph is simple however it creates a picture of childhood as it shows how they can take simple objects and create something from them. In this photograph, Gallagher has created a vase for flowers from kitchen roll. This shows the busy and rushed environment that children can bring however it may also show the fact that children have an understanding of beauty as they pick flowers.

This photograph is interesting as Gallagher has used a low depth of field and a different view point. This make the figures look bigger than they are in real life, suggesting that children view characters such as these as real people and believe that they are powerful. The photographer may have used the view point to show this power, this is also apparent as the figures are knights which would have power in society. 

This photograph has an interesting viewpoint as it is from below however it has a low depth of field which means only a few of the post-it notes are in focus suggesting that the minds of child are constantly changing their focus and thoughts easily disappear from their minds.

My Response:

I used a 50mm lens to take these photographs as it allowed me to have a low depth of field, similar to many of Gallagher's photographs. This photograph is effective as a baby bottle is a clear part of childhood and the mess in the background shows the business of a household.

I edited this photograph my enhancing the vibrance and saturation slightly to make the colour of the digger to stand out. The photo is effective as it shows the imagination which is often lost when children grow up, it shows that Peppa the Pig could drive a digger in a child's mind.

This photograph is recreating Gallagher using the dishwasher and character's to show the power and importance which children place on characters compared to what adults place on chores such as filling and emptying the dishwasher.

I like this photograph as it is bright which conveys that children see the world in a happier way than many adults. The use of depth of field is effective as it shows that there is mess in the background however the focus is on the snowman on top of kitchen roll which will make the viewer laugh and think back to things they used to do as a child.