Edward Honaker

        Edward Honaker is an American photographer who is famously known for capturing his battle with depression. In many of his pieces, he uses natural and artificial methods to provide a deeper story or abstract approach. Below are a few of my favorites...

        The first piece that caught my eye was Honaker's self portrait featured above. In a lot of his work, Edward Honaker features himself but never seems to show his face. Like seen above, the use of photoshop to swirl and twist the colors of his face provides an abstract nature taking away detail but adding a much larger message. Like mentioned earlier, Honaker uses his photograph to describe his constant battle with depression. Seeing depression as the underlying tone in a way, the unsaturated photo as well as the blur and swirl of the face suggest a questioning of his own identity. Additionally, I am always drawn to his suit; the neatness, straight lines, and lack of wrinkles. The full black and white suit suggest to me funeral attire while its neatness provides a stark contrast to his face. As for his full intention I can't be sure, but I take away the idea of an internal death. 

        Secondly, I also found the image above to be interesting. Despite being very simple I very easily once again see the portrayal of his fight with depression. In the reflection is himself taking the photo, but yet he is out of focus. The shattered mirror almost attempts to say that part of him is broken or shattered into pieces, the splintered glass symbolic describing sharp, enduring, even unappealing. Struggling with depression Honaker again captures this idea that he is not necessarily his whole self, that in way his image is unappealing, or the scars he has endured are everlasting. I like how he centered the camera on what seems to be the epicenter of the fractured mirror. It hides the camera well, but in a way also describes the epicenter of the crack to be center of him. That maybe his battle with depression is not necessarily contained to one part of him, but something that spreads throughout him splintering his life. 

        Lastly, another picture I find simplistically pleasing is the one pictured above. Again, Honaker uses an unsaturated image without detail in his face or figure. Although this image is very simple, the depiction of him almost vanishing away again speaks to his fight with depression. Even then, with his hand up and against the curtain, I symbolically see him reaching out for help almost, trying to escape this dark space but unable to. I believe Honaker is trying to draw our attention to the hand, as this part of his body is really the only thing seen clear. Overall, this piece fits in with his other photographs as it brings out a darkness and mood that is, probably intentionally, depressing.