Now them, this post is going to be difficult for me to write from the off. I am of course now extending my portraiture into new realms. I am however going to remain true to only photographing people of great influence in my life. This particular shoot in a cemetery I found fascinating, but also for obvious reasons, obscure and slightly upsetting.
My beef with this shoot was not so much the fact that I am documenting my late Grandfather's resting place, more the location and form that his Gravestone has taken. The assault of emotions one is subjected to when attempting such a task is almost impossible to articulate. Even just witnessing the righthand side of the book-like headstone being vacant, in preparation for his wife to join him, was affecting enough. I experienced both positive and negative feelings when taking this shot, but despite these conflicting thoughts, I did feel it was important to include the formidable force that was Johnny Bolland in my work. He's giant character, traditional dominant ego, and also immense physical stature made him an unforgettable man. Being an incredibly talented sculptor (His masterpieces maintaining pride of place in various family homes) even applying to Goldsmiths back in his day, the contemplation of his new community and the situation he will now eternally rest in... bewildered me somewhat.
The composition of this portrait is worth considering, spatially. Great distance immediately melding into a dense field of headstones that are uncountable and as a collective, meaningless to me. One also struggles to bring logic to the geography of this place. Perhaps it's his dominant aura, fending off the riffraff? I would expect nothing less.
The shots of his surrounding landscape are just as moving. Newer graves graced with a festival of colour and lavished in attention. The older quadrant becoming reminiscent of a Gothic, zombie film location. Absolutely insane to document in the space of about 2 minutes walk. Hard to fathom if you weren't there.
