This image shows a close up of a tea bag, placed on a dish.

I took it in my kitchen,
having planned to do a shoot on tea bags and the moments after making a cup of
tea, however I took the shoot at a random time when the mess happened to be
there, to create a more realistic representation. I chose to take it making a cup of tea
is a very simplistic task, and it is a subtle way of photographing the moments after a
routine, unlike previous shoots where I tried to highlighting household mess in a
larger scale, when it can be just as successful to look at more simplistic elements of
mess. The simple nature of this photograph links to Clare Gallagher’s photographs,
something I have been looking at throughout this project. Her orange peel
photograph links to this, as not many people notice mess such as orange peel, or a
tea bag that hasn’t been binned, except the individual who does the majority of the
housework. It also makes the audience conscious of the smaller elements in the
household that are untidy, something that I want to look at as my project continues,
and how certain elements of untidiness link to certain individuals. I soaked the whole
of this photograph in tea, as I wanted all of the image to give the rough look, and to
present the photograph as something that hasn’t been looked after, which I think I
highlight successfully.