Over half a year has passed since William Josephs Radford presented “White Knight,” a photography series dedicated to the exploration of grief upon his father’s death. Since then, Radford has completed two more projects that have become a natural continuation of his journey through the tragic experience of putting up with a loss.
Exploration of Grief in “Gradient Loss”
William Josephs Radford called his second project “Gradient Loss” to denote the gradual process of parting with his father during his end-of-life decline. Similar to the gradual loss of color in Radford’s transition to black-and-white images in this series, the artist shared the experience of losing joy and the colors of life when living through the tragedy of a personal loss.
“Gradient Loss” is distinguished by a strong emphasis on shapes and forms, achieved with the help of a red lens filter, and abstract self-portraits created with the use of lens masking and long exposures. These techniques have brought to life an emotionally evoking narrative about Radford’s fragmented psychological landscape emerging from daily workings with the feeling of grief and loss.
“Residual Noise,” the Latest Project in the Series
As William Josephs Radford’s interest in black-and-white photography deepened after his creative experiments with “Gradient Loss,” the idea of the third project took shape. It is named “Residual Noise,” which illustrates the peak mastery of camera ISO use. The photographs included in this series embrace static, noise, and grain – aspects of photography typically polished or concealed in the process of bringing the output to perfection. For Radford, the “noise” of images has taken the form of the lingering presence of his father long after his passing, being a symbol of his amnesia at the same time. These photographs complement the visual storyline initiated by the artist in “White Knight,” where he used Vaseline to bring the trajectory of his father’s memory loss to a visual plane.
About William Josephs Radford
William Josephs Radford is a conceptual photographer with a keen interest in the subjects of identity and belonging. He applies a variety of experimental techniques to bring his creative ideas to the visual plane and share his vision with the audience. One of Radford’s best-known techniques is light painting; his latest projects dedicated to the exploration of grief are also distinguished by ghosting, lens masking, and sophisticated lens filter usage.
You will find more information about William Josephs Radford and his work on the photographer’s official website.