During a daily walk in Letterkenny in 2019, I shot this image with a friend. I created it from an urgent need to show what I couldn’t say. The photograph shows the burning weight of overwhelm, identity loss, and emotional entrapment often tied to anxiety and dissociation.

The wooded Irish landscape is not just a backdrop. It shapes the emotional terrain. Nature, often linked with calm or grounding, clashes with the ghostlike, almost cruciform figure at its centre. This clash intensifies the emotional impact. The figure hangs suspended, arms stretched wide, as flames rise from his hands and head. Fire here signals both destruction and clarity.

Visually, the work borrows from surrealist symbolism and gothic tones, inspired by artists such as Kyle Thompson and early performance photographers. The duplication and fading of the figure suggest multiple states of self — fractured yet searching — a metaphor for seeking clarity within chaos.

On an emotional level, the image acts as release and confession. For people living with mental health struggles, self-expression works as a survival tool. In this way, art steps in as a language when words fall short. It bridges the gap between silence and expression.

I added the fire digitally in post-production. It shows not only mental pain but also the light of self-awareness that can grow from it. This deliberate edit points to constructed imagery, where editing reveals inner states that raw frames can’t capture.

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Themes Explored

• Dissociation and self-alienation
• Emotional release through symbolism
• Photography as a tool for processing

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Why Not Try?

Create your own symbolic self-portrait. Take a walk, pick a setting that mirrors your current emotional state, and use simple editing (colour, layering, or contrast) to show what you feel. Share your work with the tag #EmotionInFocus and join the conversation about healing through image-making.

Further Reading Links

• How to Create Double Exposure Photography (Adobe)
• Mastering Double Exposure Portraits (Digital Photography School)
• Creative Double Exposure Photography Techniques (Expert Photography)
• Double Exposure Tips and Ideas (Pixpa)

F.A.Q

Q: What does “Finding Oneself” mean in this art project?
A: Finding Oneself explores identity, mental health, and healing through surrealist photography. The series uses fire, symbolism, and visual layering to represent the process of self-discovery.

Q: How does Teresa Lyle use photography for self-expression?
A: Teresa Lyle uses photography to translate inner states into visual narratives. Techniques such as double exposure, surreal symbolism, and fragmented portraiture turn trauma and emotion into art.

Q: What techniques are used in “Finding Oneself”?
A: The series incorporates double exposure photography, chiaroscuro lighting, and symbolic editing. These techniques create surreal images that reflect dissociation, resilience, and transformation

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