Urban Culture-The Women in My Life

The images submitted here are all from an extensive continuing series entitled “The Women in My Life.” When I first began this series I recognized that there was perhaps something voyeuristic about the endeavor, though it seemed perfectly innocent and harmless since these were all just photographs of “paper” women presented in mostly commercial formats (i.e., posters, billboards signage, etc.). My photographic pursuit of these women has only been in the interest of art. On that score one might see this series as simply a documentation of one aspect of the world’s fascination with the beauty of women. But what has really interested me most about this series has been the discovery and capture of the dialogue and engagement of these “paper” women with the real world around them. I have been particularly excited by the mystery and ambiguity, and suggestiveness, that develops from the photographic juxtaposition of these womanly images with surrounding elements, including real people and environmental objects. And there is also an almost uncanny intimacy often created by what I sense as direct eye contact between me, as photographer, and the women in the landscape; an intimacy that seems to present itself despite the cacophony of the urban settings in which these images are taken. That intimacy should extend to the viewer of the finished prints as he, or she, acts as a stand-in of sorts for the photographer. In the end, these “Women in My Life” seem to become real; no longer merely artificial vehicles of a commercial promotion.