Sian Davey has been massively influential to me over the past few years for her portrayal of adolescent teenagers. As a stepmother, she uses photography to help her understand the changes her husband’s daughter is going through and she is able to document the process of self actualisation. What is really relatable is that her subjects are of a similar age growing up in the same place as me; their body shapes are changing while they come to terms with the narrow parameters of beauty within western society. Her own daughter Alice has down syndrome, and through her pictures we are able to understand how she sees the world around her. What is striking to me about Davey is how she uses documentary photography in a cinematic way to highlight the effects of puberty within western culture.

Sian Davey uses her closeness with her children to allow others to see their own unique perspectives.