Queer Intimacies

Luke Kraman's QUEER INTIMACIES is an ongoing portrait project originated in the fall of 2020 as a means of connection with and in celebration of his Bay Area queer community. The project explores the intersection between the queer experience and the vulnerability of portraiture. Being an avid people watcher and growing up a closeted queer, Luke has always been overly aware of how people present themselves. They can act, perform, deflect, put forward what they think someone wants or just be. That last one is what his portrait work is after. To him that is beauty and tough to get to. His use of composition, color and balance creates a calm, focused setting. This contrasts with and draws focus to the intimate and open demeanor his subjects arrive at through the shoot. The ease between the organized form and the intimate effect invites the viewer in as a confidant. His hope is for the subject to walk away with some growth and the viewer with some stillness, beauty, and a peak into the power and identity of queerness. The subjects range from friends and strangers to dominatrixes, artists, DJs and drag queens.