“Soft Spot gives glimpses of true insight into people’s lives, most of these things are the mundane that we walk past and miss every day.”
Soft Spot zine looks into the themes of Nostalgia, Voyeurism, and the Mundane. Looking at and appreciating the simpler things in life, translating this through people’s soft spots.
We wanted our online presence to be completely separate, showing you something new, not just repeating the same information that is in our zine. When initially creating a mind-map about soft spots, one of our ideas was to look at couples. This fits in with the voyeuristic approach, and getting those glimpses into others lives. We wanted to photograph couples of all different ages, interests and cultures; giving a really vast and varied representation.
Its all part of our love for people watching, looking at the relationship of two people, watching as an outsider, the idea of them not knowing that you are looking into their private and personal relationship, analysing and picking it apart, coming to your own conclusions about the way that their relationship works or fails, wondering how they met, how long they have been together, and what they have been through. We love the idea of analysing couples and looking at how they differentiate as well as merge together through their similarities.
Once collecting a good bank of photographs, we began to lay these out and look for social and physical trends, patterns and tribes within them.
It’s a light-hearted, heart warming, fun experiment.
On display
The theme of voyeurism is key within this photograph. As this couple embraced once they had been re-united they certainly showed a public display of affection. Slightly too much affection … (for public display!)
burger king lOve
They love to sit in Burger King on a weekday to have their lunch every now and then as a little treat. They don’t say much, they just enjoy their food and walk back home together.
same hairdressers?
Sneakily snapped this couple when they were bickering about where to go for lunch, whilst the husband was violently stabbing his finger at the “PENNE ALFREDO” and repeating “You liked it last time!” … seems they can’t agree on where to go for lunch, but they can certainly agree on where to get their hair cut!
arm in arm
This particular breed of couple likes to walk as near together as possible, the most awkward way to be close together, their arms entangled around each other, shuffling in an uncomfortable fashion. They feel the need to display their intimacy to onlookers and want to comfort each other at all times and often one clings more noticeably to the other.
stray cats
This is a place for all of our lovely couples to stay until they fit into a Tribe, they haven’t been forgotten…they are just looking for a home.
she wears the trOusers
We get the sense of a dominant female in these two relationships, the body language and strong smile overrides the timid friendly expression of her husband. The other lady even has her boyfriend carrying her shopping and Louis Vuitton Bag, there at her every command.
twO of a kind
The kind of couple that over the years merge as one being, as they begin to dress like each other. It happens before they even realise it, they are wearing matching cagoules to the supermarket, and his and hers flat caps at the weekend.
Maybe matching your clothes with your partner is a signal to all outsiders that you are together, and showing your commitment to your relationship on a different level, this couple doesn’t care about what others think about their fashion sense as they are happy and satisfied in their relationship, and are consumed within their own private world.
Love makes people do the craziest things. After you have spent a sufficient amount of time together you end up bonding with that person so closely that you discover that you share similar likes, interests and possibly fashion ideas. If you share those fashion ideas you might even swap clothing, and start shopping together for your similar tastes. When you are apart you might want to have an item of clothing that reminds you of your partner, making them still feel close to you.
Or possibly has the girlfriend stayed over for the night and needed to rummage within the boyfriends wardrobe for something to wear home … but now this item of clothing has been permanently adopted by her chest of drawers.
On the other hand it could simply be that they were attracted to each other in the first place by having the same taste in clothes.
Similar Smiles
Subconsciously have these couples spent so much time together they have started to mimic each others facial expressions, especially the way in which they smile? After seeing many photos where they have been snapped together, they begin to notice how their smiles compliment and contrast against each other, therefore creating a new slightly adjusted perfect matching smile.
It is a common belief that we are attracted to faces that look familiar, therefore we choose a partner who has similar mannerisms and traits to ourselves or a family member. (This is similar to when owners look like their pets!)
stunned lOvers
Intruding in on their privacy? This is the tribe of people that when you ask to take their photo they suddenly get shocked and look stunned. Their eyes become wider, and their mouths pursed, a startled rabbit in headlights expression. Was this just because we were taking the photograph? Or did this similarity between the couple first bring them together. Was it their shocked expression that they caught across the room that signified instant attraction?
green DC bOy & crOss legged girlfriend
The DC Green T-shirt appears to be accompanied by bright laced skate shoes, and a shy away girlfriend who default stance is with her legs crossed. Although facially … could the two boys be any more opposite, one pruned blonde boy band member and the other taking on the effortlessly cool look.
flOral dresses & carrOt tOps
Much to our surprise, we began to see an emerging trend … ginger boyfriends with floral clad girlfriends! What can we honestly say about this, except that it would appear that girls who like and are following the floral trend also have a soft spot for ginger haired boys?
Or is it the fact that when you have a ginger fella you now need to carefully consider what would clash with his hair … therefore no block colours, but a soft floral print will easily compliment his fiery barnet.
bright vs. beige
This is the couple where the man has adopted the beige following before his woman is ready to succumb. She rebels by wearing the brightest shades of raspberry, even with matching bright shoes, to make sure that she is not drowned in the dreaded sea of beige! Although the man is still clinging on to the safety of the beige uniform he is not conforming completely by wearing his brown trousers, the lady is still hoping to save him from this trend before their time!
These couples certainly look content, perhaps they are happy in their raspberry and beige world, as he is happy to sit back and let her take the limelight.
the plain stripes
Slightly odd how these two couples fit such a specific tribe. With both boyfriends donning the ‘Post Chav’ phase, which includes the bright white trainers, badly fitting jeans, the horizontal striped jumped, and ‘too much gel’ hair do! On the arm of the ‘Post Chav’ walks their shorter and more timid girlfriend, who stands close to their striped lover.
cappuccino "kids"
When you reach a certain age, it appears that this tribe doesn’t feel a need to stand out from the crowd anymore, they want to blend in, and beige seems to be the signature shade for a certain generation. Also they think that this is what they should be wearing because of their age. Something about this colour that just says wise and old. Or is it the fact that through the years of being together beige is the only colour they could compromise and agree on for them both to wear, therefore matching as a unified couple.
They merge together through the shades of beige and the occasional highlight of brown.
If its beige, at least everything matches with ease! Disappear into a sea of beige.
These images feel soft, effortless and easy.
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