It’s not uncommon for many young but undeniably talented photographers these days to draw attention to and create buzz about their conceptual self-portraits. On the contrary, the Internet is full of them. Who could forget those very expressive self-portraits of Rosie Hardy, or the surreal ones of David Talley, or even most recently, the miniatures of Joel Robison.
Joining these young photographers’ ranks – and rightfully so – is Cambridge-based photographer Laura Williams. A series of hers recently blew up big time on the Internet and everybody is talking about it.
It’s really the conceptual mini series’ main image, the one you see above, which she calls “Invisible,” that captured the world’s attention. Why? Because there’s something quite different about it. 18-year-old Laura told Flickr that she wanted to create something eerie, something that could really capture the attention of her viewers. So with the help an antique-looking mirror from her aunt’s house, a tripod – it’s a safe assumption since she admitted doing the self-portraits all on her own, and some postproduction, she skillfully created something that gave the illusion of being invisible.
The underlying theme of her viral series is the feeling of being invisible. And because it’s something that most of us have felt at some point in our lives, it only added to her images’ appeal. Of course, they are open to other interpretations. As Laura recently told The Phoblographer:
“The series itself is about feeling invisible or absent, and possibly using something to hide yourself behind, to blend in more perhaps. That’s what the image is for me, but other people may interpret it differently and I love reading about what it makes other people feel and what it means to them.”
Her viral images have already drawn people in the thousands to her work, which she usually puts up on her Flickr account; and recently, they have earned her own Flickr moment, which to many photographers is a big deal. There’s a lot in store for this very promising photographer – you’ll agree once you’ve seen her other images, which range for her sitting upside down on the ceiling to her looking through a massive rangefinder – and we will sure to keep a close eye on her work’s progress. But for now, let us enjoy the other images from her sensational mini series as well as her video for The Weekly Flickr.