Etain O’Carroll is a fine art photographer exploring alternative ways in which to view the world though techniques such intentional camera movement, slow shutter speed and multiple exposures. The sometimes unpredictable outcomes are an attraction in themselves, forcing her to see her world in a different way. When faced with so many constraints, yielding to chance can be liberating, and capturing light, movement and reflections in unforeseen ways a route to recapturing the joy in familiar surroundings.
After getting sidetracked from a career as a photographer, I'm returning to my first love and moving away from commerical work into something more abstract and expressionist. To help kickstart the process, I'm currently studying for a Masters in Fine Art at Oxford Brookes and exploring just why it is I have chosen to do this at this point in my life, and why mid-life seems to be a time for recalibration for many. Midlife seems to be a point in our lives when we understand ourselves more than ever, yet the intense demands and responsibilities we face may mean we suffer a loss of identity as we cater to the needs of others, resent or reject a career, or deal with loss, all of which leave little time or space to break out of a rut or mould of expectation. This work grapples with these concepts and explores what it would take to make the leap away from it all and what might happen if you did. Movement, memory and belonging are key themes and I spend a lot of time reflecting on presence and absence in everyday life. I'm also very conscious of the need for us all to slow down, observe, and allow ourselves to be absorbed by the solitude and the process in order to find beauty in the small things.