Looking at a Series of Photos Writeup

https://www.lensculture.com/argus-paul-estabrook?modal=project-672421

Argus Paul Estabrook

The series of pictures I have chosen is called "This Is Not An Exit". The pictures in this series show a story on a time line that seems to happen very quick. It's about the death of a loved one. The images work together by starting a depressing state that will only get worse. One day was fine and then the next they got bad news from the doctors and they could start to see where that light in there life was about to fade away and get bad. That the coming weeks will be dark and emotional. The wife feels lost and helpless as she watches her husband lay in a hospital bed loose his battle. In the following photo it seems to be showing the wife hugging and crying on her husbands shoulder. She tells that she wish she could take away all his pain, every single piece of pain. 

I feel like this series is very strong because of how they decided to go with black and white. I believe that if the photographer, Estabrook, let these photos be in color that it would be too busy. That it wouldn't have shown the story that it currently showing. With the black and white you can feel the pain that the wife is experiencing and presenting to the audience. The pain is what draws us in because we crave that feeling to know more and what the outcome will be. However, the photos that I do find to be stronger than the others would be the wife standing in a field and the arm behind her, the fast movement of her face, the shaved hair in the tub, the last imprint he had made, and the body laying on the gurney. 

I feel like in this series you have very strong and strong photos. I didn't really find weak photos, however, there was one photo that didn't quite make sense. It seems to be a piece of grapefruit. The only connection I could make out is that it was the food she had been preparing for him. But the series mainly shows pictures of pain, and emotion. This was an interesting picture and it definitely stood out. Overall, the photographer did an amazing job. He brought the pain and emotion of losing someone to life. When I saw the first picture I could tell that it was going to be a dark story with the lighting slowly fading away.