My Photographic: Garden of Joy
Samuel Booth
Self-Published
English
Softcover
56 pages
203 x 292 mm
2025
ISBN Not Available
After my brain injury in 2009 I have not been able to explain or confront my daily chronic pain studying on a Master of Fine Art Photography course gave me the opportunity to confront what I call my ‘pain monster’ and write about my pain. I always wanted my photography work to help others, it has been cathartic and helped reduce my pain.
This series of images contains my emotions and feelings that i experienced predominantly in gardens or other places that have a very special meaning to me. As a garden volunteer I have gained to me. As a garden volunteer I have gained so much pain relief from the connection to nature. I wanted to try and capture this using a camera.
The garden of joy images are a combination of the energy and spirit of the positive side of my pain, in that they show the floaters I saw when I experienced migraines with aura as a child. There is something beautiful about these light auras. I first saw them when I was about 5yrs old but couldn’t really explain them.
Photography has been my therapy and my way of visually explaining so much that I experience. it gives me the chance to show the positive side of my life and creates these kaleidoscopes of colour. I am often asked how I create these types of images; they aren’t just random movements with specific exposure times. These are what I call my emotional camera movements. I can tap into my emotions and can’t plan these moments. The camera is a way that I can unlock suppressed feelings and can be painted onto the paper when I feel they are ready. I do the work in the digital darkroom in much the same way. I get a certain feeling when I see the image and know it is how I want it to look. I wanted to bring something positive from my negative experience.
(source is from the book)
About the Artist
Samuel Booth is a brain injury survivor who has found photography to be a therapy for dealing with long term chronic and daily pain. Combining abstract images to visually represent the pain and finding inspiration from nature that also provides a medication. His images tell the story of his experiences as a volunteer gardener and of his pain monster, both the good and the bad. Each photograph is his story of living with a hidden disability and shows how photography has helped heal him.
Artist’s Instagram
(source: https://north.art/directory/artist/samuel-booth/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaeWYwH5xox6IzRA8NtDB7it94mwTKl5_VpXPVLfjK_xAvn7j9HFnx8A3clWfg_aem_fzBMFJj8gy0PlqdcO1y3Og)
