4x5 Portraits
Large format portraiture demands stillness. With a 4x5 camera, every image asks for patience, trust, and presence - from both the photographer and the subject. The process itself is slow, heavy, and deliberate. The camera must be mounted on a tripod. A dark cloth is pulled over the ground glass. The image appears only in darkness - backwards and upside down. A single sheet of film is loaded into a film holder one frame at a time. When the photograph is finally made, I simply release the shutter.
Working with this camera forces me to slow down. I tend to approach the world with an abundance of energy and haste - this process asks something quieter of me. It asks me to sit with people and really look at them. The camera becomes less of a barrier and more of a witness - a vehicle for connection.
For much of my life, I have been afraid of being seen too closely - afraid of revealing too much, being too vulnerable, or allowing something hidden to slip through. These portraits explore what happens when people allow their walls to soften, even briefly. I am interested intersection of vulnerability and strength.
Photographed in and around their homes, these portraits explore identity through small gestures: the way someone occupies space, leans into light, or allows themselves to be seen. The images are collaborative acts of observation between myself and the people in front of the camera.
Ultimately, this series is about human presence. These images were made with slow intention. About what becomes visible when people are given enough space to simply exist in front of the camera.
