«I’ve learned when I am truly honest in front of my camera and show vulnerability to others, I get similar reactions in return-and that’s all I’ve ever wanted from photography. »

«I find it ironic how my self portraiture has evolved over the years. Photography began as a way for me to escape from everything (reality and the hurdles that follow) and draw completely inward. I was attracted to self-portraits because of how much I could capture as I learned to move my face and body in front of the camera. Over the months and years that followed my beginnings, my photography has changed as I have grown older: instead of using photos as a sort-of «digital diary» for only myself, I’ve been shown how much power a photo can have in connecting people.

When I am truly honest in front of my camera and show people vulnerability, I get similar reactions in return. The ability to relate to someone I have never met by means of a photograph is really fascinating. I’ve always loved listening to people, getting to know them on more than a surface level just as I’ve always loved creating with my hands so when I am given the opportunity to put those two together via self portraiture, I really could ask for nothing more.

I tell everyone to do the 365 challenge — it really is one of the best things that happened to me and my photography, if not the best. I look at my day one photo and compare it to my last shot and am blown away by the difference. And now, I catch myself looking through the set over and over when I want to remember that year because it literally is a diary. I look at a photo and remember everything that happened that day and with those pictures I can see all the changes I went through be it something trivial like a bad haircut or something more substantial like a personal issue. It’s amazing how much that project changed me. I really cannot stress how beneficial it is and how everyone should do it. I’ve been contemplating doing another year…I don’t know just yet.»

MMM

Фликр, Инстаграм