#edward honaker

[stuckinthewind]

[guy60660]

Edward Honaker

[gnawgag]

vampire money - mcr // photography by edward honaker

[sandmandaddy69]

Edward Honaker

[patheticesque]

From the series documenting his own depression (2015), photographed by Edward Honaker.

[kiki-de-la-petite-flaque]

Ph Edward Honaker

[plaseabow]

Musings on almost.

All writing is my own

Images in order: Edward Honaker, Untitled; James Coffman, Sun and Moon; Luka Khabelashvii, Multiple Personality

[f-zilla2005]

Assignment #3 - Photo Book Project Proposal.

For the third project, I have decided to have my photobook be based on a very keen aspect of any form of art. Emotion. Personal emotion to be more specific. Many photographers always try to create whatever form of emotional reaction they wish to elicit from the observer by sort of distorting reality. But really, these invented emotions are just that; Invented. 

You can take a photo of a sunset, in a way to capture the orange glow of our star reflected and through that assign an arbitrary meaning behind it, as generic as the meaning will inevitably be as it is manufactured. You have no attachment, no attachment that is actually genuine at least. However, to distort an image to elicit a real emotion is achieved through a different method. To take a picture of oneself. That is the way to not create, but show true emotion. Emotion that you, yourself felt, exhibited and are now sharing in a way that observers can better understand how you, the photographer, truly feel. 

That is my idea: to take photos to show my emotional state at the time of each photo’s taking. I believe it’ll be rather revealing of me. Not in any philosophical way.. or.. physical way.. but rather self-revealing. Sometimes you think you feel one way but on the outside you look completely contrary. To clarify, not pretending to show one emotion while completely feeling another in a form of manipulation, as a medically diagnosed psychopath would do. But rather actually feeling something contrary with no attempt to deceive others but rather deceive yourself. Or in this case.. myself. 

Edward Honaker is a photographer from California who had suffered with depression for two years and decided to make a series of photos depicting his depression. He hadn’t spoken to anyone, including his friends or family about his diagnosis (He was officially diagnosed in 2013). The photos are all taken in black and white and are altered to some extent to properly express his state at the time.

For why I’ve decided to take inspiration from his personal experience is in the name: It’s personal and I have, unfortunately, had several experiences with depression for years. The actual feeling I had in those occasions (Note: I refer to them as “occasions”, that is only due to a lack of a better term. Though short lived they truly felt like years).

So first we have the picture of him with his family, his face noticeably scratched out. He doesn’t really feel like he’s truly connecting with them, in the sense he’s not there with them mentally. He doesn’t partake with them, as he was too deep into his depression to let anyone in, even his own family. 

Second we have Edward looking at the mirror, and the reflection of his face is once again altered. It’s blurred, and he metaphorically (and quite literally) cannot look at himself in the mirror. 

Third, we have a collage of three images that create a small story. He falls off the building, into water, and then finally onto his bed. The image of falling off a building can be interpreted as perhaps depression becoming so strong that it may lead to thoughts of giving up, or (hopefully not) suicidal thoughts. Falling into the water could mean him drowning in those thoughts, a nightmare of an inner constant pain and feeling like you’ve lost control of everything and you’ll die at any moment. But the last image shows him landing on his bed. The nightmare subsiding for now. 

[xc0328]

For this assignment, the photographer that influenced me were mostly landscape travel which I am unable to travel far to obtain the images I wanted within short period of time. So I decided to choose a different photographer who's known for capturing their depression and anxiety in his photos, known as "Edward Honaker". He raises awareness regarding mental disorder through photography and I felt doing the same. Speaking from self-experience, my parents and those friends with the same kind of parents have always pressured their children to perfect assignments, tests, and whatever makes a person great. This causes our mind to think very differently, being afraid to speak up, not able to communicate well, and becoming an introvert. I feel lucky that I didn't have extreme strict parents because growing up, I heard stories of kids running away from their home, smoking with delinquent all day, and some even suiciding after achieving their parent's goals. Through my photography, I hope to bring more awareness towards mental disorder, especially towards teenager group.

[theinterpretedimage]

Researched photographer - Edward Honaker 

Edward Honaker is a 21 year-old photographer from California who was diagnosed with depression and anxiety in 2013 and for two years he did not speak to anyone about his mental disorder until after his work was released. Honaker's coping mechanism is his self-portrait photography. His photos turn his depression into something that can be seen and, hopefully, better understood.

This small collection is the first image in his series which illustrates his experiences with depression and anxiety. The connection between movement follows between each image in a very smooth way, although each image is separate he has created a way to make them all feel as one.

To me these images display Dynamic range. You can see a large distance between the brightest highlights and darkest shadows in each of these images. A high dynamic range typically means that more detail in both highlights and shadows can be captured and as displayed we can have a large amount of detail in each picture. From the definition in the bricks to the crimps in the bed sheets he has produced 3 images that show an insane amount of detail. 

The act of feeling such intense movement but the body remaining in a fixed position is a feeling linked closely to his exploration of his feelings with depression. This really captures the mental tool that comes along with this mental illness and I find his self portraits to really display this feeling in a comforting way. 

In this image he is lying on top of a chest of drawers against a completely blank wall, with his back exposed next to a  singular dying flower with his spine highlighted. I like how simple he kept the elements in this image but the meaning behind the image is large enough to create a large amount of depth in the image. I feel as though this picture is very important for this series of encapsulating what having depression and anxiety feels like because most sufferers of anxiety feel very vulnerable and exposed just like he is in this picture. 

The way his body is positioned, shows us a glimpse into what it is like in his mind. I feel like this is the same reason he chose to produce all of these images in black and white. This image looks as though it was shot in daylight with the main light source on the right side from a window I believe. Everything is well lit with the same brightness, each element in this image is very detailed due to the bright lighting. 

He has shot this image in a way that creates uncertainty, although everything looks fairly normal this image produces a feeling that something just isn't quite right. I find this to be very captivating.

In this image Honaker has shot it using a tripod and slowed down the shutter speed on his camera and moves his head from side to side while his body remains still. He does this in order to create an image where his head is blurry which may be in order to symbolise the mixed up emotions in his mind. I find this technique very powerful. 

The way he has set up this image from an image that is parallel to him feels as though he almost wants us to face him as he suffers from his mental disorder. His body position makes Honaker seem interested and curious almost as though he is having a conversation with the  viewer but he can’t get his words out and us as the viewers are able to respond to him. I like the direct angle he has created and the way his body language speaks to us. 

 I am inspired by the way he creates strong feelings and emotions in each of  self portraits. I want to use my portraiture to communicate  emotions and topics to the viewers. 

[gd4abditive]

Edward Honaker Photography

Photos by Edward Honaker

[garymcclure]

MEDIA 220 - Assignment 1. post-5

Continuing on with the media outputs for assignment 1, I have decided that the two forms I wish to use will be Photography and Videography.

For the first media output, I wish to create a film indicating a sense of loneliness. This will be done by creating a camping scene of a single person, which portrays the concept of isolation.  As well as this footage I plan to set an area where I can gather a range of males to discuss aspects of depression including some believed causes. This will be conducted in an interview style. I plan to ask three questions to those who partake in the interview

((Questions still to be decided))

For the second media output, I aim to create three portraits of men expressing emotions related to depression. I plan to take the photos in Black and white as I think this sets a more serious tone, also using inspiration from the artists mentioned. The photos will be edited with the incorporation of digital art and use typography to express the answers to the questions answered in the interview stages for media output one.

Hoping to use aspects from the previously mentioned artists Michal Macku and Edward Honaker, as a tone and idea for depression but done ideally without doing anything that could be construed as offensive.

[mariaangels]

Edward Honaker

[ardn631srf]

Photographer Research

3 - Annie Leibovitz

Annie Leibovitz is a celebrated American photographer best known for her engaging and dramatic celebrity portraits. Adept at capturing her subject’s personality and inner life, her images reflect intimate or staged moments that reveal the playful and expressive aspects of her sitters, as seen in her Disney Dream Portraits (2011).

Looking at the behind-the-scenes photos of these series, they were taken in a studio setting, I am thinking about using the studio space.

4- Edward Honaker

Edward Honaker displays his depression in his powerful self-portraits, he often uses a series of black and white photos which illustrates his experience with depression and anxiety.

Most of Edward's photos are monochromatic, and in some of the photos there is movement of a figure, these are taken with long shutter speeds, this creates a blurry effect which shows the internal struggle in the brain. His work is abstract when it comes to the faces and heads of his portraits, but other parts of the body are left to be more simplistic.

Im looking at the use of photo manipulation to display an emotion. I feel like it is an interesting concept that I can use throughout my work.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Photography: Edward Honaker

* * * *

"Our Generation has had no Great war, no Great Depression. Our war is spiritual. Our depression is our lives."

— Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club

Album Details:

A series which illustrates artist's experiences with depression and anxiety. It featured on Huffington Post.

[Belles-lettres]

[patheticesque]

From the series documenting his own depression (2015), photographed by Edward Honaker.