Tired of the saccharine, syrupy images we are bombarded with at this time of year, we asked photographers on the Photography: Mastered with Nick Knight talent programme to reimagine the festive season.
The result? A collection of shots that range from the personal and thought-provoking to the kitsch and tongue in cheek; seeing the photographers take a step back from modern day representations of the festive season to create images that juxtapose seasonal revelry with wider social issues and personal experiences. Whether it’s Agustina Rodriguez’s ode to loved ones missed or Irvin Rivera’s take on an off-duty Santa, there’s at once poignancy and humour running throughout these images.
The consumerism that so pervades at this time of year is also absent here, with Zuzia Zawada and Pierre Manning focusing on themes such as depression and child homelessness, and Michael Barr and Debora Barnaba emphasising innocence and naivety. Just as childhood favourite, the Grinch, muses “What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?”
In place of twinkling trees and jolly Santas, have these photographers tapped into a wider truth about Christmas today by reclaiming Christmas imagery as their own?
The Photography: Mastered with Nick Knight talent programme runs until February 2016. For more information, visit www.mastered.com.
Sponsored: Mastered.com – Online programmes for creative professionals
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