Photography can be described as painting with light which is what I attempted to do for this visual narrative. I enjoy photography very much – it captures a moment or a memory like no other medium. Night photography is especially interesting; I am fascinated by the images created while playing with light at night. I decided the mystical, other-worldly images I have taken in the dark would be stylistically perfect for this assignment. My visual narrative came together from the pictures I took over three recent evenings. I did not start out with a story and then attempt to chronicle it in photographs. Instead, I took pictures of street lights, headlights, solar-powered yard foot lights, fireworks, and sparklers, at night in my neighborhood. Camera shake - purposeful and incidental, red wine, patient friends, and lots of laughter were used in this creation. A Canon EOS Rebel XTi with a 70 to 300mm telephoto lens, extremely slow shutter speeds, low F-stops, and a trusty tripod, were utilized to create this series of photos.
With the help of two sweet sisters up past their bedtimes, some cheap sparklers, and the good friends who allowed me put the two together, this story unfolded. I began by taking shots of the girls playing with the sparklers at night. I also snapped some shots of the streetlights while I slowly moved the camera using sweeping motions. After uploading and viewing the results on my computer I began to develop a storyline. The next two nights I tried to embellish the story by directing the actions of the girls - the circles of light and the shape of a heart are the products I sought. The random movements I made with the camera aimed at street lights and car taillights created the photos I hope portray the ascension of the victims’ souls to another realm. I was particularly struck by the cross-like shapes attached to the light forms in the fourth photo, the faces I saw in the “lost souls” photo, and the angelic apparition of the “spirit guide” photo. Next I took photos of the drunken driver, his headlights, the hugging girls “coming through for a visit”, and finally the stormy sky to round out the story.
The tale of a drunken driver killing a young family and the subsequent journey their souls embark upon is told in these pictures. In my attempt to label them, a poem formed. I felt the tragic nature of the death of small children, would resonate with most viewers. I wanted my story to represent the ethereal in a non-threatening manner. In putting the photographs in their order and including spirit guides both to “usher them away” and to “take them home” I tried to make the afterlife feel less haunted and more hopeful – more about a journey than an end. I want to leave the viewer wondering if the sisters came back to visit every year. By ending the story with stormy skies I wanted to leave us yearning to know what other secrets the clouds may keep.
Personal note: Many thanks to GG and MRG and their parents; to my most excellent photography assistant Natalie; and to my husband for agreeing to be portrayed in the unflattering light of a drunken driver (when in actuality he was only unshaven and sweaty from mowing our lawn). I hope you enjoy the results of our evenings on Efland Drive. Also, a small confession – the “spirit guide from the other side” photo was taken last year during the Independence Day fireworks display. I have been looking at that photo for almost a year and seeing an angel (or as the girls might see a Tinkerbelle) and knowing that one day I would “do something” with that image. I hope its impact on this story will garner forgiveness for breaking the rule. -- Denise Sherron
Gone, but never forgotten…
The moon was high and so was he
He got behind the wheel
He swerved to miss their SUV
He never meant to kill
But it was not to be
Too soon came a family’s end
The lost souls arose
To usher them away.
Later, one year to the day
Breaking through, with something to say
But how to communicate?
They had the power to illuminate…
The notion came to write with light
To family and friends
A message of love they sent
Afterwards, their energy was spent,
So their spirit guide from the other side
She came to take them home
Again they were gone,
But never forgotten...
He got behind the wheel
He swerved to miss their SUV
He never meant to kill
But it was not to be
Too soon came a family’s end
The lost souls arose
To usher them away.
Later, one year to the day
Breaking through, with something to say
But how to communicate?
They had the power to illuminate…
The notion came to write with light
To family and friends
A message of love they sent
Afterwards, their energy was spent,
So their spirit guide from the other side
She came to take them home
Again they were gone,
But never forgotten...
Denise S.—Very powerful visual narrative! I was very interested in knowing how you were able to create the effects in those images so it was good that you explained how you were able to accomplish them. The first photo of your husband portraying a “high” driver was funny to me. With that being the first photo, I was not expecting the tone of the narrative to drastically evolve into such a tragedy. The next photo really depicts what a drunken person may see during an accident. The picture with the crosses was remarkable! And it is so interesting that you did not doctor or create those effects, they just came out that way. Your images are very convincing and really seem to depict lost souls floating to their new arena. The image of the little girl in the background with the sparklers definitely could have been a scene from a horror movie. It is very haunting. Your images attempt to depict the journey of lost souls and I believe they accomplished that. I have seen several movies of lost souls traveling back to earth for different reasons and your narrative fit right it. Those movies were not all scary or horror movies, though because of the subject matter there was still an eeriness to it. Your narrative fits right in with those. I really enjoyed your images and your poem!
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