Lost, But Not Forgotten

For my digital illustration class, we were asked to demonstrate either pain or passion.  I wanted to demonstrate pain, but not in a typical fashion.  My grandfather passed away several years ago and I know it was painful for everyone in my family.  Long before his death, he fought in WWII.  I know that his absence in war worried my grandmother daily.  As we are currently at war, I know many families are experiencing similar heartache.  I wanted to illustrate that such pain is timeless.  For this photo, I used a 4x5 camera with a digital back.  I took an old picture of my grandfather in uniform and re-printed it.  I then broke the glass and put a plane of focus over just his eyes.  I took a separate picture of my hand and composited it in.  The ring in the photo is actually an old family engagement ring.  Once composited, I played around with the blending modes to get the desired effect.  When I told my grandmother my plan, she was excited and is eager to see the finished photograph.