Constructed photography is the art of illusion. As photographers, we cover the cracks, which compounded with social media, makes it hard to talk about underlying real issues.
With November being men’s mental health awareness month, Imran Shrimp bravely shares his own mental health trauma. If I may digress, as an aside Movember coincides with November and is a great resource to access for mental health awareness as well as to help combat this unfortunately deadly disease. But back to Shrimp, he not only helps make mental health ok by sharing his own troubles, but highlights that as photographer, we are the tastemakers. We control the conversation so it’s parament that we not only talk about difficult issues, but use our craft and our community to spread important messages.
Photography is a lie. Mechanically, a photo is grounded in reality, but photography’s relationship with truth is a tenuous and muddy one. This, more recently, has been compounded and exacerbated with social media. We often only show our successes. “I got this great new piece of gear. I’m making this amazing work. My life is wonderful.” But that’s not real, that’s social media. So it’s refreshing to not only talk about important issues but also show how we really are doing.
The last few years have really highlighted how connected we really are and how important it is for photographers to reveal something more than just the glossy images we are used to. I’m eager to see where Shrimp’s project ends up. I think it’s wonderful that he is making work that talks about mental health. But I’m also wary that that is a single drop in a massive ocean. I don’t have much else to contribute to the conversation, but through sharing, I think we can make a difference. What big issues have you navigated with your own photographic practice? Perhaps it’s mental health; perhaps it’s something else. I’d love to know in the comments below.