NICK WAPLINGTON

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Waplington has capture bare and unstaged realness of everyday life. His images are taken in the heart of the family home, the living room. Above, you can see mixed emotions, from chaos to tender loving families. Waplington’s work shows a broad range of feelings, which were taken within the moment. These candid shots show many ways they used the living room; you can tell by the living conditions that they are a working-class family, where all the glitz and glamour of an ‘ideal’ house being spotless is unreal. I think many families can relate to the images above, as nothing is posed, from the families to the furniture. It feels real and not fake.

Everywhere from social media, to TV, you see all unreal expectations of what you should have and be. But in this case, it is the opposite. Even though in some of the images they are arguing, you can see that they have a family bond together, which most of the time on social media is the complete opposite. Waplington has produced these images, in which you feel like you are there. As none of the families are looking at the camera, and they are acting their usual self (not staged), it feels that you are looking in on the part of a real loving family.

TINA BARNEY

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Similarly, Barney has photographed families within their homes as well, but in Barney images above, you see a different type of family life. You can tell that Barney has used a similar approach to Waplington, in taking candid shots within the moment. However, the difference here is the type of people. You can tell compared to the Waplingtons families that these families are wealthy and have a lavish lifestyle, from their home, to what they wear and even how they stand. But Barney had photographed these families just before their portraits were going to be taken, showing the truth behind these lifestyles.

To me, it feels less real and more uptight than Waplington images. It seems that they are more fuss about how they present themselves and what they have. Perhaps the images are what the outside world doesn’t see behind closed doors. I feel angry and frustrated, not by the families, but the expressions they are giving off. Not one of them seems to be happy or comfortable. Almost like they don’t want to be there.

Both photographers that I have analysed have one thing in common that they both photographed a family within their home. However, both families are very different. One family has a wealthy lifestyle, and the other has a less fortunate one. Nevertheless, I feel that the privileged family is cold and distant. But the other feels loving and like a real family. So does class matter? Overall the family life and connection between them is very different.