Massachusetts' Men
I am fascinated with nuanced facial expressions and have set out to discover and capture a person’s essence in a photographic portrait; those expressions are windows reflecting a person’s dignity and grace. I am greatly influenced by the art of Canadian photographer, Jousuf Karsh, who calls it their “Inward power, part of the exclusive secret that hides in everyone.1”
Capturing the one instant that reflects a person’s true spirit is my goal; one that they, their friends and total strangers will recognize as insightful and true. It is the moving feeling we get in a quiet conversation with someone when we realize they are fully engaged and sincere. Portraits by American photographer, Steve McCurry challenge me to include intimacy and humanity in my portraits. I too want to be a story teller, to draw the viewer into the subject’s eyes and share a fleeting glimpse of their soul.
In this series, I photographed men from Malden and those who attended a biannual Massachusetts Men’s Gathering (MMG) weekend. I scheduled appointments an hour apart to allow sufficient time to build a relationship. It was a delicate exchange of trust for intimacy. My favorite tools have become a quiet conversation, a camera, window light and a reflector. My objective is to reward the subject’s trust with faithful representations in their portrait.
1 A 60-year Retrospective, by Jousuf Karsk, a Bulfitch Book, Little Brown and Company, 1996.
