Hannah - To be or not to be?

I set to work this past summer on a series of photographs to represent some of Shakespeare’s female characters. I had just taken a Shakespeare class the semester before, and the words of “The Bard” were so powerful that they created images in my mind, full of detail and nuance. His female characters in particular intrigued me; Shakespeare seems sympathetic to many of them, and yet so many of them meet tragic ends.

In particular, I couldn’t stop thinking about Ophelia, from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. I’d seen photographs inspired by Ophelia before, all depicting her drowning in a disturbingly beautiful light. However, I wanted to depict Ophelia as a more fully fleshed out character in my visual representation of Shakespeare’s work. She needed to confront the viewer head-on, allowing them to understand the pain, the hurt, and the determination she possesses as she stands on the edge of the water, contemplating the choice before her.

This is my personal favorite photograph of my career so far - not because it is technically the best photo I’ve ever taken (it’s not) or because it’s the most aesthetically pleasing (again, probably not). It’s my favorite photograph because it let me bring to life a character who I truly love, and it allows me to share with people my own take on a classic and famous character. I believe that everyone has opinions and perspectives to share, and creative ways in which to do so, and this photograph represents my way of sharing my unique perspective with the world.