WILLIAM JOE JOSEPHS RADFORD
White Knight

After my father passed away from a brain tumour in September 2024, I began White Knight, the first chapter of a trilogy on grief. Every image is created entirely in-camera using a variety of experimental techniques such as ghosting, light painting, lens masking, and Vaseline smeared across the lens to mirror the blur of tears and the fog of his final months as memory slipped away. Red and blue dominate the palette, embodying the emotional dualities I lived through as well as a metaphor for heaven and hell. Whenever grief struck, I reached for the camera. These photographs became my therapy—an urgent attempt to transform pain into something beautiful, to hold on to him a little longer, and to honour a life by turning mourning into meaning.

Author
I’m William Josephs Radford (b. 1998), a British-Spanish fine art photographer. I was born in rural Andalucía to British parents, and that mix of cultures has shaped how I see the world and the themes I explore in my work—identity, beauty, and the expectations society places on both.

My photography often gravitates toward subjects that some might see as difficult or provocative. I’m drawn to finding beauty in unexpected places and using symbols—like condoms, crucifixes, or cigarettes—to reflect on ideas around sexuality, spirituality, vice, and cultural contradictions. Color has always been central to my work: I’ve used rich, saturated palettes to create images that are both visually striking and layered with meaning.

Recently, I’ve begun moving into black and white photography. For me, this shift isn’t just stylistic—it’s a way of focusing more closely on tone, texture, composition, and the raw emotional core of the subject.

Website
https://josephsradford.com/

Instagram
@JosephsRadford

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