At the start of this project, I had a few ideas, but after talking to a guest lecturer, I settled intending to show the audience what I see. There were several ways that I could portray this. This is when I first started my initial research, guiding me to later choose to photograph my family and different ways in which I could produce this. But still wanting to keep to the theme of identity surrounding me, to what I personally see.

To learn new techniques I had to do my research, I stumbled across photographer John Deakin that inspired me a lot. The way he takes the portraits in multiple exposures is stunning, how he makes the sitter looks so natural, yet mesmerising to look at.

I have never used multiple exposure before, so this process was new to me. Researching it and understanding it was easy, but achieving the desired look I was going for was difficult. There are several settings in the camera that can produce different looks and contrast, and trying to perfect what I see through to the audience, required many attempts and practice.

In the final images, I wanted to present how I see people differently, thats why I chose to do a close-up and a more natural far away shot. By doing this, I feel that I have made the series flow better and separate them, making it more visually impactful.

I would prefer it if I had done more shoots with more family members, e.g. my dad, it would’ve made the final images complete. However, I had to prioritise my time for printing, and there were delays because of illnesses. Although I think my final four images are still strong together.

Producing the images was easy once I had perfected the lighting and location. The light couldn’t be too dark or too bright, or it would have caused contrast, which ruins the double exposure effect. Another thing what was difficult with the location was the background. It had to be plain-ish, if there was anything in the background, it would make the image messy like, and confusing to look at. So looking for areas around my home that relate to my family and me was important.

Overall I am pleased with the outcome, this was a challenging project for me while learning a new process and trying to perfect what I see visually through to the audience. However, because of the research, and challenges, it has allowed me to show the viewer a part of my identity, that visually people can’t see or understand.