Joshua Hoffine
2008, Basement by Hoffine
2008, Clown by Hoffine
2008, TV by Hoffine
2008, Devil by Hoffine (eldest daughter)
2008, Closet by Hoffine (youngest daughter)
2008, Bed by Hoffine (youngest daughter)
2008, Wolf by Hoffine (youngest daughter)
2008, Prep for "Devil" by Hoffine (eldest daughter)
2013, Last Stand by Hoffine
Joshua Hoffine was born in 1973, Emporia
Kansas. He graduated from Kansas City High School in 1991, and then Kansas
State University in 1995, earning his B.A. in English Literature.
Afterwards,
Hoffine studied photography with commercial photographer Nick Verdos, and then
worked as a photo-assistant at Hallmark Cards. Eventually he began to freelance
on his own as a photographer.
Horror Photography
‘Horror
Photographs’ is a phrase created by Hoffine to describe the work he began
making in 2003. He explained that “Horror allows us to express repressed
feelings, such as terror and rage” (2008). My role as a Horror photographer is
to show people what they don’t want to see” (2008). In 2008, Hoffine’s Horror
photography debuted on the internet when he presented his photographs exploring
childhood fears. It became instantaneously popular, gaining numerous fans and critics.
Many viewers felt that the content of
his work was cruel. Being some of the subject of his photos involved his daughters
posing in his terrifying photo shoots. They believed Hoffine was putting his
daughters in his macabre scenes just so that he could get good photos of their
reactions. People became so upset that they began to send hate mail to Hoffine,
accosting him with accusations of abuse for the controversial photos of the
children.
Hoffine, however, explained in an
interview with the Huffington Post that his daughters were not scared at all.
They actually enjoyed being their father’s models and viewed the shoots as a
kind of pretend play. Hoffine said “They also know we are making a scary
picture…and loved the idea of scaring the audience as much as I did.” After
all, they are his daughters.
Hoffine’s work has now been published in
magazines, anthologies, and news outlets, such as Rue Morgue, spreading his Horror Photography around the world. And
on June 27, 2014 he will be featuring his first film, Black Lullaby. Visit www.joshuahoffine.com
to learn more and see his gallery of Horror Photographs. He has a very creative
collection beyond the ones exploring childhood fears that are just dying to be
stuck inside your head while you sleep.
Hi Lauren,
ReplyDeleteIt is no surprise that his photos have gained Hollywood's attention! I am a very big horror fan myself and I mean classic, suspenseful, cant sleep at night horror none of that Walking Dead garbage. Every picture seems like a still from an iconic horror movie that we feel like we should be familiar with but never existed. I love the fear and contrast of the soft innocent youths contrasted with horrible maleficent beings. I think one of the more horrifying ones are the ones that are more subtle, such as the child unassumingly watching tv while two impending and pale arms reach out for her. Or the silhouette of a clown but notice the hand of that clown is the farthest thing from funny. I enjoyed those photographs and found them much creepier and overall enthralling than his walking dead in your face spectacles. I will absolutely check out more of his work!
Hi Lauren! What an interesting photographer to research, he is so cool! I also see a sense of dark humor in his work as well. But I love the fact that he tries to capture fears, because his photos definitely then make the viewer have some type of reaction or emotional response. His photos take on a surrealistic quality, and the settings in which he places his subject matter are phenomenal. They're very whimsical and have a eerie quality to them because of the playfulness of the image mixing with the horror. My favorite photograph is of the child walking down the stairs. I love how the light just illuminates her silhouette, and of course how that thing is hiding under the stairs. It definitely reads "scary", but there is an artistic quality to it as well, such as the lighting, perspective and balanced composition. Awesome research!
ReplyDeleteHey Lauren! I love the creepiness of these photos! Each one is like a bedtime story gone terribly wrong and capitalize on every child's biggest fears. I am a big horror fan and these images definitely express a lot of the repressed emotions we often so outwardly express as children but hide as adults. His use of lighting in several of the pictures add to the creepy feel, like something is always hiding in the dark shadows. Great research!
ReplyDeleteYAYYYYYYY! For Horror!. These are great I've seen his work before and lover the concepts he comes up with. I didn't know about the controversies though about his work. I think people need to relax and not jump to conclusions if someone expresses themselves against the grain a little bit. Some people need more than just Halloween to express themselves. Great job.
ReplyDeleteHello Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI see you are a fan of horror. I do believe that you are the only one used a horror photographer as their choice to research. The photo of the little girl seeing the shade of the clown behind the sheet is disturbing, but at the same time its such a great photo. I love how clowns can be scary and in another shot can be so caring. I also love the recreation of the poltergiest scene, and the last but not least is the photo of the little girl walking down the steps. I like the glow that shines from behind her, because it actually distracts you from the demon under the steps. You did a great job in choosing a photographer and photos!