A photo that touches me in a very emotional way is “Failure and Regret” by Brandon Kidwell, a freelance photographer from Florida who focuses on iPhone-photography and double exposure images. The photo above is part of a series of photographs called “Wisdom for my children”. Kidwell took the inspiration for it from his three children: Each photo of the series goes with a quotation that displays real experience he went through while raising his kids. “Failure and Regret” is accompanied by the following sentence: “Failure and regret are reserved for those who are afraid to reach with their heart”.
The photo is therefore more than just a double exposure portrait, but a very personal work by the artist. Kidwell revealed in an interview that the purpose of series was to reach his children and influence their decisions in life: “My double exposures have become a way for me to portray some sort of lesson or share some small piece of wisdom that comes from a life experience – mainly from my children.” (Kidwell, 2014)
What I like about the photo is the way the layers work together – it’s nearly impossible to see them as two individual images of hands and head. The position of the hands mirrors the facial expression of the young man perfectly: His gaze is very self-confident and strong, the same applies to the hands, they seem to grip something. It’s also interesting to see how the quote and the picture work together: “to reach with their heart” is perfectly symbolized through the hands, who seem to reach out to something as well.
Moreover, it’s a very strong composition: the restrained colours, the monochromatic background and the texture offer no distraction but lead the focus to the face and the hands. The soft light creates only soft shadows which adds to the overall balanced atmosphere.
Kidwell, B. (2014) ‘How Brandon Kidwell Creates Amazing Double Exposure iPhone Photos‘. Interviewed by Kate Wesson for iPhone Photography School, 5 November. Available at: https://iphonephotographyschool.com/brandon-kidwell/ (Accessed: 08 October 2019).
header photo: Kidwell, B. (N/A) Failure and Regret. Available at: http://www.brandonkidwell.com/wisdom-for-my-children (Accessed: 01 December 2019).
Documentation of MEDI512 "Experiment" 