Family Portraits

My work relies on analog photography to initiate a dialog between the subject and myself. More specifically I use a 4x5 view camera. A camera this size takes time to set up which allows a breadth of conversation, thoughts, and feelings to evolve naturally. Through photography I explore the possibility of expressing personal thoughts on loss, change, youth, and old age. Particularly I am looking at how illness can devolve family dynamics. Therefore, my family is my subject. My grandmother was the matriarch of our family. As a child I witnessed her hosting family gatherings, taking care of all her children's children (including myself at one time), and being a thoroughly devoted wife. Two years ago she was diagnosed with dementia, with that came a loss of family identity. During the process of photographing my grandmother I was diagnosed with diabetes. My apprehension of change and aging intensified and became important for me to explore deeper. By using large format analog photography I have established a basis for making art through connections. The relationships depicted in the imagery invite the audience to have an intense internal experience. My connection with family becomes a basis for a more universal transference of thought and emotion.