This image is part of the ‘Nima’ series; shot in Accra, Ghana. I originally began this project after the charity Plan International UK visited my secondary school as part of their ‘Because I am A Girl’ campaign. I was inspired to do some research into how different girls of the same age, at the time, were living. Meaning I was interested in how their daily lives, including academics, health, family lives and social lives, differed from my own. The images, as well as the questions I wanted to ask, were intended to make up a report which would serve as a means of comparison as well as a way to raise awareness of any issues which I might come across during my time in Nima.
In this particular image, the eye is immediately drawn to the smiles of these three women. A range of emotions are shown in each face within just one frame. The mother stands tallest, between her daughters, the eldest to her left and the youngest to the right. The composition of the image intentionally leaves the top half of the frame purely for the features of the women, framed by the folds of fabric which draw the eye from the bottom edge of the image to the faces at the top. It is a busy frame but the focal point is clear and prominent.
However, this would not have been as effective without the contrast brought by both the depth of the folds and the shadows on their faces. the daylights surrounds them, meaning not a single feature is lost due to the exposure level, achieved with the sacrifice of some of the detail of the whitest parts of the fabric. It is difficult to correctly expose dark skin and lightly coloured objects or backgrounds within the same frame, which is something I learnt to compensate for for the duration of this project. It was definitely a challenge as the system of houses in Nima is built in such a way that there is a very unpredictable light pattern where dark shadows are cast over most of the houses, with only the odd patch of bright light that I could work with in some of the courtyards. A similar challenge was presented by the headscarves that most of the women and girls were wearing which also created shadows over their faces.
