Beginnings are mearly continuations of who we are . Perpetuations branching out further. In this sense, I feel, I have not so much “started” photography as I am carrying on the same story.
I remember the time when I stopped writing and what came, as to fill the void, was the passionate, nearly obsessive, nearly childish, impulse pulling me towards gothic themes, well,”gothic” for lack of the better world…
As if some dark draft suddenly flung open the doors and windows of my house and started filling it with black lace, victorian mourning dresses and jewellery, antique items, props, vintage dolls.
Yes, I was using them going to various gothic themed events and gatherings but, behind every apparent clear cut purpose, there is some vague aimlessness unnoticingly taking us in another direction.
It felt, as if I inherited all this paraphernalia from some young woman who died long time ago. I needed to collect the pieces of her life and try to bring them together into a story. As if she was my forgotten sister.
All this needed something palpable, visual, captured, to come to the surface, some staged poetic image to express it. So…
...my first camera was basic, my first pictures were bad,
my first attempts were cliches. I didn't have a plan,
I had an instinct.
….it was taking me in all wrong directions like an erratic twitching compass needle which then, somehow, slowly, aligns itself with its destination.
I am still following it.
The featured image, The Tea For The Dead, was born out of this journey and in the next post, I would like to share more details behind the inspiration, creative process and in depth story behind this picture and the accompanying series to which it belongs.
In the meantime you can view more on https://www.annaandertonart.com
I would strongly recommend using desktop/laptop to view my site as in the mobile/Ipad view it is a bit on a bare bones side and some of the text is not displaying .
Anna Anderton : The Story Behind The Pictures 