ARTIST'S STATEMENT
Precious Objects - 2010
Paired, framed images - the portrait of the sitter holding their self-chosen precious object alongside a full-size copy of a hand-written statement explaining their choice. These are things that the subject has had a long time, that hold special meaning and would be difficult or impossible to replace. The sitter was given freedom in choice, dress, demeanor, form and content of the statement. The paper was laid out at an angle to allow either portrait or landscape orientation. This was done to ameliorate the power issues between photographer and subject. The portraits done in Cleveland were done on an 8x10 field camera. I am doing these in other cities on 4x5. The wooden camera also helps in making the process more comfortable for the sitter (it certainly is less comfortable for me.) The film is scanned and digitally printed. The statements are directly scanned. An effort has been made to minimize showing previous subjects before the session. It is a study in personal values.
Remarkably, there emerges a story in the shape of the written statements and a remarkable correlation to the posture in the portrait. I would not allow people or pets (or body parts). I also attempted, with only partial success, discouraging things that were merely representative and easily replaced (family photos, blackberries, etc). I have completed the photography on this project which now includes over 160 subjects.