Image Story by Sheena (WRTG 3090 – Fall 2013)
A young woman, left alone in this world when she was orphaned, struggles with emptiness of heart. She finds love and this love grows into more than she could have ever hoped for, in a very untraditional way.
BEHIND THE SCENES
I chose a variety of photos to best document my experience in joining a new family. These photos were all personal and came from previous albums; none were created solely for the purpose of this story. I began with the chronological beginning to my story: me, alone. I used Pixelmator and iPhoto editing programs to edit photos. Throughout the story, I used sepia tone, more heavily applied when I am sad, and gradually lightening as the story brightens. The color tone is meant to depict my emotions. The photos are darker and colorless to reflect unhappiness and become colorful and lighter to reflect happiness and fulfillment. I also cropped photos and used some sharpening techniques to focus the photos better.
STORYTELLER BIO
When I was twelve, my mother killed herself. Not having seen my father since I was seven, I was legally deemed an orphan. I struggled on my own for a while, and eventually began staying with friends for extended periods of time. After spending six years with a good friend and her family, I was kicked out and back to being alone. When I started dating Mason, I remembered what it was like feeling deeply connected to someone — something I’d been missing since my mother’s suicide. Upon getting to know his family, I was surprised to find the feeling with each member of his family, as well. Everything fell into place and I consider his family to be my family. The orphan in me has been left behind.