Artist Statement
I have been able to work on projects that have helped to define who I am as a photographer. I like to work in intimate settings and acquire access to situations and people’s stories that rarely are told. My focus has been on subcultures in the United States that are often misunderstood and overlooked including mental illness in prison, HIV in rural America, and living in Appalachia.
Recently, I have been using my 4x5 to look at things differently that I see every day including winter and sunbathers at the shore. All of the projects allow me to ask more questions and engage with people in their environment.
Process Statement
When I go under the drape of the 4×5, my proximity to people and objects seems closer. There is an intimacy that exists that I never felt with any other camera. Even though I am separated by a large camera and hidden by a drape, I am absorbed by everything that is in my frame.
I try to look for the uninhibited moment where people forget about trying to control the image of themselves. There is something that happens when people are still for 10 minutes in front of the camera. It gives them time to determine who they want to be. They lose themselves in the process and after a certain amount of time, they let their guard down and I end up seeing them without pretense.
How to use our image viewer
Click on any of the thumbnail images to launch the viewer. You can then navigate forward and backward within the portfolio by clicking the left or right side of the enlarged image. Click the add to collection checkbox to automatically add an image to your collection. Image tags or search engine keywords appear below the collections' checkbox and each word or phrase is a link to potentially more image matches.