One photographer I learned about while researching is Christian Hopkins. I researched his work for the creative portraits section and I became fascinated with his work. His story is absolutely incredible, hearing the battles with his mental health he has overcame using photography is incredibly inspiring. It really shows the effect photography can have people, in this case saving someone's life.
It all began when his mum bought him a high-end point and shoot camera for a holiday to China. Out of guilt, he began to take pictures like a tourist. However, the more he shot the more he developed an interest in photography and his perspective in the subject changed forever. It was never his plan to become a photographer but the trip to China changed him. “I slowly began seeing the world through my lens and not my eyes — both literally and figuratively,”
Another Cliche Butterfly Photo - Christian Hopkins
A few months later, Christian’s new found purpose changed to what he describes as a “black void”. He woke up one morning and nothing was worth living anymore, feeling that everything was pointless and wanted it all to end. “To put it simply, I tried to kill myself... There was no reason for it. There was no explanation. No warning or a trigger. I just couldn’t stand living the way I was; just waking up to go to sleep and sleeping to wake up.”
Denial - Christian Hopkins
At the time, Christian’s doctors and therapists couldn’t figure out if he was bipolar, suffered from anxiety, depression or a combination of the three. They finally diagnosed him with Severe Affective Disorder, and he spent three months in a psychiatric ward.
Insomnia - Christian Hopkins
His love for photography came back suddenly when he went back to high school. After missing the first half of his senior year, he was required to do a senior project. Given his rough year, he wanted to find something that didn’t require talking or being around people in general. Christian decided to center his senior project around photography, more specifically trying to create beautiful moments. At first, he began to take self-portraits, trying to imitate a lot of the images he’d seen online. After a while, it started to evolve into something bigger than he imagined. “Instead of trying to create a cool image... I made each photograph represent a manifestation of some specific demon that I needed to purge from myself before its corruption became unbearable. It’s the pain that drove me. It was the pain that inspired me. Ultimately, my photography became a form of therapy.”
Untitled - Christian Hopkins
One of his favourite images is titled ‘Inner Demons’. it is a self portrait taken of his back with hands and faces emerging from it. Apart from the technical and visual aspects of the photograph, he loves it because it accurately expresses his feelings at the time.
Inner Demons - Christian Hopkins
While Christian’s mental health may fluctuate at times, he says photography has been an excellent way of reminding him how human he truly is. “I’ll often, very often, fail... I may be sad or I may be crushed by failure, but I’ll never regret it. Because from every failure, I’ve learned something, which makes it worth it.”
Purity - Christian Hopkins
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