Lamb

“Oh my precious lamb, I hear you calling
And offer up my hands to you in healing.
Let my voice resound where your hurts are deepest,
Let my voice resound when yours is weakest.

Fold into my arms, it’s enough.
Fold into my arms, you are loved,
You are loved,
You are loved.

Oh my precious lamb, I hear you crying,
And time will take its time to deliver meaning.
Buried by their lies, but you’re gonna be alright.
Silenced by their words, but you’re gonna be heard.

Fold into my arms, it’s enough.
Fold into my arms, you are loved,
You are loved,
You are loved,
You are loved.

For all those years they put you down,
For all those years without your crown.

Fold into my arms, it’s enough.
Fold into my arms, you are loved,
You are loved,
You are loved,
You are loved.”

[ Lamb – Phildel ]

The fifth photo in the Wave Your Flags series is Lamb, and was one of the easiest to turn from music to image: the idea of a lamb has some sacred connotations and made me immediately think of Baroque paintings, especially Caravaggio, which was the aesthetic I decided to pursue.

In this scenario, Luisa is not the person who’s speaking, but the “lamb”, the one the song is addressed to. This photo could have worked well with two models, but I wanted to reduce as much as possible my involvement in front of the camera, so I decided to imply a metaphysical comforting presence in the form of ray of lights that Luisa is turning towards. I had this colour filter in mind all along so the dramatic but not too sharp lighting would be emphasised, also giving an overall “old canvas” feel to the image. This was also to play to Luisa’s strengths: her features make her just perfect for this kind of classical painting tributes!

To be completely honest, I had forgotten the line in the bridge that talks about a crown: I just decided to include a radial halo because I’d never pass on the chance to put one into a photo! – it just happened to perfectly align with the lyrics too. If we think that the “lamb” is already healing, then she’s already got her crown back.

There was a little miscommunication in regards to the styling between me and Luisa: I thought of a floral garment which was actually a winter coat (totally unviable in the blistering Sardinian summer), while she thought I meant this beautiful flowy dress. In hindsight, this one works better not only because the white and soft fabric gives an immediate association with a lamb, but also because it recalls later Rococo paintings with the pastoral aesthetics popularised by Marie Antoinette, our very first cottagecore queen.

I’m very satisfied with this photo. I think I managed to exploit some visual associations to convey the general mood and meaning of the song. And even putting aside the project, I just love everything about this work.