ME

Another photo series from high school…
Here’s what I wrote about it in like 2017:

What has always fascinated me about photography is that a photographer’s medium is reality. Inspired by the work of photographers like Izumi Miyazaki, Cindy Sherman and Nikki Lee, I wondered how much reality could be manipulated before it would no longer be considered real. In this series of self portraits I explore different styles in each piece, but aim to ground them in their common sense of artifice. I initially began my series without the masks you see in most photos. However, as I continued experimenting with surreal imagery I leaned into my desire to control the representation of my identity. By crafting these masks from scratch, I was able to control the identity of the figures who wore them. Like the masks, everything else would be highly manipulated and artificial (intricately planned compositions, distortion of scale, unnatural colors, and heavy use of Photoshop). We often expect photography to reflect reality. However, by portraying overtly unrealistic subject matter in a realistic way, I’m challenging the viewer to accept the reality I’ve created. What else do we adopt as our truth without question? Which parts of our identities are we in control of and which parts have been molded by others?