2023
in the light of the burning world

Understandably lucky to be born a white male into a white family in America, which is essentially all that truly separates me from any human in any country, just a bit of chance, I am fully aware of the safety and freedoms I am able to take part in, including practicing photography. In times such as these, while we drown in an endless stream of content, vitriol, hate, greed, and merchandise it’s often challenging to find the surface to catch a breath of air. And in just stating that I am afforded that opportunity to swim to the surface, is not lost on me. I participate in global events when possible but the desire to, no, the need to, create is exceedingly important to me. It is my personal liberation, my personal freedom (a philosophical debate in itself), my path to some kind of understanding. There are moments to grasp; to hold on to while your surroundings collapse. I am given opportunities others do not have and I do my best to make the most of them. This process, of making a photograph, of collaborating and creating with others is how I choose to make sense of everything, and even make something, hopefully engaging to not only myself, but to others, in the light of the burning world.

The fourteen photographs in this series were made in collaboration with Rachel in two different regions of the Pacific Northwest over two sessions, each separated by one year, almost to the day.


2023
rodin

Years ago I visited the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia, a sister museum to Paris’s version. But it wasn’t Rodin’s art that I was truly inspired by, it was the model and the poses and positions they put themselves in to allow Rodin to create. I left that museum thinking more about the model/s than I did about the art.

Rodin’s main model was Camille Claudel. Claudel was an incredible sculptor in her own right and it was when she apprenticed for Rodin that he began to predominantly use her as a model. There’s a lot more to that story and I encourage you (if interested) to spend some time reading about it. I’m not an expert on either of them, but you don’t have to be one to realize how much Claudel inspired Rodin’s work. As a photographer who works mainly with models, usually one per series, I fully understand the importance of collaboration. Without the model, I don’t have a photograph. And while I am in charge of directing and working the camera, they are still a massive part of each session. I’ve had the opportunity to work with many outstanding people, mainly regular people lending their body to model, that have contributed greatly to a photograph and subsequent series. Whether it’s a suggestion on their part, the way they moved or stood, or placed themselves over a rock, many of them played a large role. It’s hard not to imagine Claudel contributed greatly to Rodin’s work and after seeing so many unique and odd poses in Rodin’s pieces, I was inspired to create a small series around those poses.



2022 - 2023
suspended

This photographic series delves into the topics of depression and suicide, in a visual form. There are no sensational or upsetting photos, only the reference of an upsetting topic.

‘Suspended,’ originally created in 2022 as a series of nine photographs, explores depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and the nuances that set us apart from each other. In each photograph, the person (body) remains anonymous while the silk fabric represents the subtle changes and characteristics that define each of us. The subject being in mid-air, jumping, represents the act of suicide, something I have thought about numerous times in the past. Six new photographs created in 2023 are the additions to the series and are included in the gallery.

If you are experiencing similar thoughts and seek help, please text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the United States, anytime.


Tenebrosity; A&B
2022-2023

Catharsis
2022

“In a world where irony reigns, where you have to separate, protect and laugh at anything that is honest or has an emotional charge, I bet for catharsis. I like to invest emotionally in things. And catharsis, when it touches the emotional vein, can open the doors of even those who protect themselves.

— Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

A series of 13 photographs made using a Rollei 2.8 with expired infrared film.