Mark Nixon
About:
Nixon began taking photos in 1995 as a hobby to distract him from his struggle with writing songs. He quickly found a passion for photography, more specifically portraiture and studio photography. He loves photographing people and opened a studio in Ireland in 2001 where he mostly photographs and frames family photos.
Much Loved:
This project started with the inspiration of Nick's own son, Calum, and how attached he was to his Peter Rabbit toy which was bought for him by his 90 year old great grandmother. He then began collecting stories that are connected to the toys that people are closest to. He would take portraits of the toys and then explain on the side who they were, how old they were and what they meant to their owners. This expression of emotions to inanimate object presented the idea of sentiment and the different ways this can come about.
I am really interested in the positioning of the toys in the images. Nixon has somehow been able to make the toys float without whatever is holding the toys up affecting the lighting. This image is a really good example of this technique as a small toy is still able to be the centre of the image in this photo. I think this technique also reflects sentiment as it feels like the toys are in a boundless void which could symbolise the mind and how the toy remains stuck in their mind no matter what other thoughts are happening in their mind. I find this really cool however I would not like to use it in my own shoots as I would like to create scenes with my toys that reflect my memories with them.
Similarly to Nixon, I think the stories behind the toys are very important to understanding the sentiment behind them. This was a story that stuck out to me, one reason is because it is quite short. However, the quality of what is said feels very relatable as it explains a little boy who is ashamed of still owning something so childish but would never think about getting rid of it. I find this very relatable as since I am starting my adult life, I feel the expectation to rid myself of my childhood toys. However, I refuse as I still feel strong emotions towards them and I know I will feel great sadness if I parted with them. I think a lot of people would relate to this situation and would therefore relate to this piece a lot more than if there was no text. I want my work to also be relatable and show the same emotion behind every image.
I felt a strong connection with this story also. I think this is because Nixon established a relationship with the toy and it's owner. I feel that this had an effect on the emotions felt when reading this story as Nixon also felt emotional when writing it as he was talking about his deceased friend. I hope my work will have the same effect as this as it is all toys that I feel emotion towards.
