A photographer wrestles with a void in his life after his brother passes away suddenly. His emotional anguish does not prohibit him from bringing something positive out of the experience. Captured across Iceland and Australia, this exploratory documentary shows a journey both mental and physical.

Director’s Statement

Stories are something that have always been a huge part of my life. I’ve gone from being a book-hungry child to a creative adult writing my own stories.

Unfortunately, the chaotic and time-consuming nature of life ate at my desire to write long form stories. It wasn’t until I took up photography that I fell back in love with the idea of storytelling, only through images in a frame rather than words on a page. I met my friend Simeon (Director of Photography and Co-Director of Darkroom) while we were working on a charity project in Kenya. At the time, we didn’t realize how lucky we were to have met each other.

After my work in Kenya was complete, I had to face one of the great challenges of my life, the loss of my younger brother. I was four years his elder, and the loss of his life affected me deeply. Over the years, my artistic career drifted from storytelling, to photography, to fashion and advertising.

Some time later, Simeon and I happened to meet again in Spain. We wanted to tell a story together, so we brainstormed. The subject of my younger brother came up in the conversation. We discussed his life, my own, and the path I had gone on since his passing. The more we talked, the more we realized that the story we had been looking for was right in front of us.

It was then we first spoke of turning my story into a narrative. Inspired by the effervescence of Documentaries like Chef’s table and Abstract I loved their form of crafting a visual narrative that pushed the story introspective. The heaviest inspirations came from the strangest places for me, a Volvo Ad (Moments) directed by Gustav Johansson and a french Poem ‘Between earth and sky’, visualized by Benjamin Dowie and Matthew Le Lay. The impact the Volvo spot had for me is something that was personal; powerful. Between Earth and Sky embellished for me the idea of escaping into your own reality or space to reconnect.

The biggest thing that I would love for people to take away from this piece is dealing with grief doesn’t have to be a negative process. I looked into myself and discovered that I was a flawed. My vision of the world was one I had created based on my own experience, as all of ours is. People are so important to surround yourself with; their interactions, support and love. To those dealing with loss or struggling with their mental health, I encourage you to look to those around you and to share. It is not easy but it is necessary. This is a glimpse of my process.