Irrespective of age we are all subject to the effects of time - from the youngest child to the eldest family member we are all in thrall to the same natural process. In this project I have attempted to show this by photographing a range of people - from 10 Months Old to 92 Years - and labelling them each as one of the ‘Seven Ages of Man’ laid out by William Shakespeare. In doing so, I hope to show the observable changes that come with age, from the smallness of children to the wrinkles of the old.
In order to best display the aging process I have directed the models to sit in very similar positions and show as little emotion as possible. I have then endeavored to take the pictures in a uniform way. In doing so, I am putting them all in the same context, which allows the viewer to focus on the details of their face, rather than the pose, or the background, or the expression. This is also done to show the inevitability and universality of the aging process - and thus the transience of age.
Each of the models who have posed for these photographs will age, and go through the ‘Seven Ages of Man.’ Despite the somewhat melancholy concept of the work, some have remarked there is a sense of empowerment coursing through these images. I would agree and say yes, there is none more empowering than the acknowledgement of the soul as ageless and defiant.