REACTION
I begin by asking my models, all young, intelligent, and attractive women, to stand in front of a plain white sheet. I tell them that I will be projecting a series of videos, and that all they need to do is watch. They should react the way they normally would, neither performing nor self-censoring. They nod their heads, and the clips roll. I stand patiently beside my camera, one finger on the shutter, and eyes locked on my subject, waiting for the slightest change in expression.
This is a project about many things: my desire to be noticed by others, my frustrations as an artist, the way I find beauty in discomfort. But most importantly, it is a project about raw emotions, and the way they serve as windows to the soul. With every frame comes another connection to a personal experience, a memory, or an unspoken desire. And it goes both ways. My models display a range of emotions, but I ultimately select the ones that speak the most to me.
It is my hope that these photographs remind you of the complexity and beauty of emotions—solely human, profoundly personal, yet unquestionably universal.
April 2015
