Girls on Film

As a babysitter, I have unparalleled access into the lives of children and young adults: having watched Anne and Nell grow up and enter their pre-teen and teenage years, I wanted to use my photographs to show both the masks they wear for adults and the moments when the masks fall away - revealing their most vulnerable selves. But I never captured anything they didn't want to share: they pose or don't, look at the camera or don't - they are the ones in charge of their images, thanks to their constant practice for social media. Theirs is a generation that has never lacked selfies and instagram, so I chose to shoot film; even as the visual world we inhabit is digital and instantaneous, the shared challenges of youth span generations and media. When Anne and Nell asked impatiently, 'Can we see the photos?' I felt almost silly telling them, 'You'll have to wait.'