“The Guardian”

This piece is entitled “The Guardian.” Being one of the first photos starring someone other than myself. The model is Samantha Fernandes, a friend and someone I worked with extensively in my first years of honing my craft. She offered me many opportunities to become familiar with working with models. Her patience with my newbie tendencies is something I will always be thankful for.

 

During the time leading up to this photo I was knee deep in exploring a new obsession. I have a very obsessive personality, indulging myself deep into my interests. If I find something that tingles my senses I will hunt down whatever I can on the subject and immerse myself in it. Ask anyone who is close to me, they’ll say the same. The particular subject of my obsession during this time was E.V.P’s ( Electronic Voice Phenomenon).

 

No I wasn’t inspired by the awful film “White Noise.” This interest was peaked by a more personal experience.  The place I was living at the time, a shared house known locally as “Boing”, gave me a first hand  experience.  I lived on the upper level of the old home. The house was shared by  8 other residents at the time. 3 upstairs,  2 mid-level and 3 in the basement.

 

I had been told stories about some unexplainable stirrings in the basement before. Which wasn’t surprising if you gazed  and spent little time down there. The stories were your average ghost story about curious rumblings and feelings of being watched.

 

Always having interest in the unexplained I have naturally always been drawn to ghosts and like phenomenon. Yet always approaching it with a high degree of skepticism. Disregarding many stories by the fact that the human mind is a powerful thing. We can convince ourselves of all sorts of invisible enemies.

 

Being intrigued by the stories of the others whom I lived with I regarded most of them as self trickery. Simply being uncomfortable in a worn basement with little natural light available. I’m not sure if I encouraged whatever happened next or aroused something but, something changed my mind about that house and its haunting.

 

 

One summer night I was unable to sleep. Tossing with my sheets over and over. The heat was too much to bare. The house was quiet , Myself and one other roommate were home. Everyone else was out at the club that night. I got out of bed to get a drink of water and took a detour to the bathroom.

 

While in the bathroom I thought I heard what sounded like multiple people talking, rather loudly. I couldn’t understand them I could just hear the loud vibrations of their voices from the walls. I assumed it was the other residents coming back from a night out and continuing the night at home. I quickly second guessed that.

 

The voices, one in particular began to get louder and had very angry tones to it.  It went on for maybe a minute or so . Sounding like a heated argument had just broke out downstairs. I finished and started walking down the stairs to the mid-level to see what was going on.

 

As I  crept lower and got closer to the stair landing I couldn’t hear anything. No voices, no creaking from the floor boards, no movement at all. I turned the corner to the main area of the house and didn’t find anyone there. So I proceeded to walk down to the basement, nobody. Out  in the backyard, nobody. The front porch, nobody.

 

I figured they must have left to another place and didn’t think much of it. Just to be sure I called my roommate Peter and asked him if they had come home. He didn’t answer but soon called back. He told me he was still at the club as well as the other roommates. It was becoming more and more odd to me.

 

Not wanting to make something of nothing I just decided to lay down and go back to sleep. Not more than 10 minutes after I layed back down I heard footsteps coming up the stairs, which was right behind my bedroom wall. I assumed it was someone coming home. It wasn’t. That night my roommates didn’t get home till after 1 a.m. from 11.pm. till then I heard multiple trips of feet walking up and down our stairs.

 

Talking the next day with the rest of the house. Not a single person but one was home, and his room was right next to mine. He never moved from his room. They all claimed they didn’t come back to the house after they  left for the club at around 10 p.m.

 

I  don’t know what I experienced but it convinced me of something beyond the natural realm was present.

Within the next few days I began spending hours online reading hundreds of other peoples experiences and listening to hours of E.V.P’s. Becoming more and more intrigued with every minute of audio.

 

I began to find an interesting common factor in many of the recordings. Many of them projected a message of protection  or guardianship.  As if the voices were coming from loved ones watching over their places, possessions or those dear to them. Some offered their protection via threats and others concern. My imagination began to run wild with ideas of thousands of past energy hovering around the things they  once embraced while still living.

 

I found this idea a beautiful one and you can look in many religious texts to find this idea present in most.  That beyond this life we have loved ones past watching over us. I find this to be a touching way to think and remember those we loved.

 

Within days I purposed doing a shoot with Samantha to capture this idea. She agreed and also found the idea a beautiful one. Seeing as my home was where this idea first generated from I wanted the shoot to take place there. We shot in the basement of the house soon after discussing it.

 

I shot this photo with a Nikon D50 with my shutter speed rather high due to the low light offered. I used a single incandescent light to help the cameras ability to focus. The red contacts were used to give Samantha a “other worldly” feel. Thick black make-up was used to draw attention to the essence of the eyes. Dried yellow roses were placed in her hands as to convey a mourning, like you see with flowers being left on graves. There wilted state to give the idea that a great deal of time had passed. .The seemingly plain black dress was used to detract attention and add to the focus of the eyes and flowers.  Later in Photoshop I desatureted the skin to a pale, lifeless color.

 

In conclusion this photo is an image of one of the many lost loved ones remaining by the side of what they  cherished.  Keeping watch over what they have been detached from in a physical sense. It’s these bundles of energy that whisper  words of warning and love when you need it most. Your ears may not pick it up but your heart will.

 

Love,

Mr. Rellim