Conscious is a surreal series by photographer Ryan James Caruthers that explores themes of memory through a hazy perspective. The 19-year-old's dreamy collection of images offer an interpretive narrative within each frame that is a sentimental visual for Caruthers himself. He tells us, "The inspiration behind my Conscious series is my own stream of thoughts and memories. Each photograph is a representation of something that I have experienced or that has impacted my life. It's a very nostalgic experience for me and each image is altered to convey this."
The young photographer, who recently moved to New York to study and pursue a career in the arts, uses a visual technique that is very personal to him. Caruthers explains, "The images are all distorted using the water from the creek that runs through the forest near my house back in New Jersey. As a child I spent most of my time playing around in these woods and would hang out with friends and sometimes even swim in the creek growing up.
"The image of the three picture frames on the wall is from the interior of my parent's house. The framed images in the photograph are pictures of me, and two of my three brothers. I walked past this same display going up and down the steps of my house for many years so it's very personal and was sort of routine. Since I am now not living at home it's very strange to not see my family or even simple things like these three frames on the side wall of my staircase.