Even though Philip-Lorca diCorcia, doesn’t directly link to my theme of homelessness, there are some aspects of his work that I could take influence from. DiCorcia often photographs lone figures in states of contemplation, showing their isolation from the world. Even though loneliness wasn’t the main theme behind DiCorcia’s work I feel that some of his photographs shows this well and I could take influence from his use of these lone figures in my own work.

Philip-Lorca diCorcia- Untitled, from the series East of Eden, 2011

The photograph of a lone woman in a room shows the solitude and loneliness people feel. She is looking out the window, however because the viewer knows it is a window, due to the reflection, it could be seen as showing her entrapment in her own world. The TV shows a natural disaster occurring, but by having her looking away, I feel it shows the idea that she does not know what is going on in the world and society at that time; this could link to my idea of homelessness, as homeless people have little contact with the news and media communication methods. The tones to the photograph are very subdued and cool, mirroring the woman’s mood.

Philip-Lorca diCorcia- Alice, 1988

Philip-Lorca diCorcia- Brent Booth; 21 Years Old; Des Moines, IOWA; 30 Dollar, 1990-92

These two photographs both show lone figures, that are lost in their own world of thought and contemplation, as the world around them goes past. This links to my work of the person in the woods, as they are alone in their world, almost trapped, as the world around them continues. I represented the other people and society by the trees, and wanted to show how they ignore and all look and act similar, as very few people help homeless people. In both photographs light has been used to illuminate and highlight the lone figure, they are pulled out of the shadows; in my photos I should may be not highlight the figures as much, linking to the idea that homeless people are often ignored, like no one can see them.

I really like this work of diCorcia’s and so I plan to explore this idea of lone figures further, to demonstrate the loneliness and isolation homeless people feel. I want to take more photographs of a lone figure in the woods, and so I will revisit this idea and further develop it.