Project Descriptions

Reflections (2014): This series is a study in self-portraiture, but with a twist. In these photographs, I have taken pictures of myself reflected through different mediums, such as windows, mirrors, water, and shadows. My self-portraits are taken in places that I frequent often in my daily life, and some also incorporate people who I am close to and spend time with, such as my parents and friends. Furthermore, in the window reflections, I play with the idea of “inside/outside,” where in my reflection you can see my body, the background, and the space that is inside, all in one image.

Establishments (2014): For this series I photographed places near my home in Long Island that have interesting artificial light, either on the outside or inside, and captured them on film at night when the artificial light is most pronounced. I also wanted to concentrate on places that are unique to the area where I live, such as the diner and laundromat, as well as gas stations that, during the day can be quite busy, but at night are very much part of a quiet, suburban life.

Shadow Portraits (2015): In this series, I took shadow portraits of different members of my family, including myself, as well as different objects in our home that we see or use on a daily basis. I wanted to play with the different shadows I could create with people and objects, using the artificial light already available in the house. Our shadows are a part of ourselves, yet in these photographs it becomes the only part of the person or object the viewer sees, and hints at what these things or these people actually look like in real life, adding to the mysteriousness to these subjects.

Relations (2015): This project aims to document two different types of relationships, one between my parents, who have been married for thirty-five years, and the other between my sister and her husband of two months. The photographs show the similarities and differences between how they interact with each other in their daily lives while doing similar things, such as watching TV or talking in the kitchen, as well as the different types of spaces in which they live in. My parents raised three children, are both retired, and are entering a new phase of their lives, while my sister and brother-in-law are raising their child, working full-time, and are just beginning their lives together as they start their own family, which is an extension of what my parents have created over the years.

Frameless (2018 - present): My recent work is a collaboration with photographer Roberta H. Dorsett that focuses on abstraction using film in non-traditional ways. Our series focuses on experimenting with what photography can be if we negate the camera and the use of traditional photographic film. In our process, we used color motion picture film and black and white darkroom chemicals, and when combined, their reaction resulted in abstract shapes appearing on the film. What developed on the emulsion cannot be found in nature or the world, which emphasizes the absence of objects and people, therefore highlighting the absence of the camera. Furthermore, the way the chemicals interact with the film resulted in the absence of frames as well. We chose to scan and edit the film digitally rather than printing it analog in order to present each strip as a whole, rather than sequenced into frames. Photographers aim to control what is in the frame, but here the film is void of that, producing a frameless picture. Moreover, these pictures are a chance result of the mixture of different chemicals, so our control was minimal in their initial creation. Only when we started to examine what happened on the film and edit did our control increase and participate in the final result. Each viewer will see something different in the filmstrips that relates to their individual perspective of the world and personal experiences. All of the images are open to interpretation and can take on different meanings. But the one common denominator is they are meant to question what a photograph can be. Can these filmstrips be considered photographs or are they, due to their unconventional creation, something more?