“Behind the Scenes”: The Beauty of Simple Actions

EVERY DAY PHOTOGRAPHERS AROUND THE WORLD looking for new ways to tell stories or to capture what we previously did not notice. We choose interesting photo projects and ask their authors what they wanted to say. This week - a series of "Voice-over" by Irish photographer Lynn Rothwell, who tried to find the beauty and novelty in painfully familiar scenery and processes, whether it was a car wash or buying a soda in the machine.

I was born and raised in Dublin and, like all 18-year-olds, when choosing a college, I had little idea what I wanted to do in the future. I have always been attracted to two things: art and photography, but at the same time I understood that I was drawing absolutely monstrously, and this is an indispensable ability for a person who plans to somehow connect his life with art. In general, I made a choice in favor of photography and in 2012 I graduated from the Dublin Institute of Art, Design and Technology.

The "Voice-over" series is part of my final work. It is built around the idea that photography can turn an ordinary object into something special and exceptional. Any place or object transferred to a photograph instantly becomes more spectacular: people gaze at them with more attention, do not take their eyes off for longer, try to read the picture and find hidden meanings in it. Photos of various places that seem boring and mundane to one person have exactly the opposite effect on another and can even become a real inspirational picture for him.

Most of the shots in this series are made around my Dublin home. I chose these places because, firstly, I know them well and, secondly, I wanted to see something new in the routine things and processes. All photos were taken under natural light, and the models were made by relatives and friends. In general, people and locations are not connected with each other, but for me it was important that a person was present in the frame - this, in my opinion, is a prerequisite for the photos to be as realistic as possible. I was afraid that if the spaces in the pictures would be deserted, it would seem that I directed the shot. In the end, as I feel it now, it turned out a project that opens people's eyes to all the strange beauty that surrounds us every day and which is so difficult to see.