As an avid people-watcher I am constantly reflecting upon my own identity in relation to those around me. I am intrigued by the oscillation between individual and type, and consider the genre of portraiture a method for gathering clues about myself, and my community. I am inspired as much by traditional portrait paintings as I am by the most objective types of documentary photography, and my work emulates that of my art history heroes by reveling in the thrilling specifics and mundane generalities of one's own existence.
Throughout my work in portrait photography certain questions arise about the relationship between artist, subject, and viewer; and how eye contact, gesture, and environment might reveal certain aspects of an individual’s character. My use of long exposures and studio lighting results in portraits imbued with a sense of self-awareness in relation to the camera, whereby an initially sentimental reaction yields to a more ambiguous reading of the subjects and their surroundings.
