In these images, the subject’s body engages with my own manipulation of the wet collodion process. What could have been a pristine image of the sitter becomes a subversion of figurative photography. By manipulating the chemical skin of the collodion, I create a visual conversation between my mark-making and the sitter’s own skin: it stretches, bends, and contours.
The background is intentionally simple and dark, distilling the image into light, shadow, and chemistry. The figures move in and out of the shadows, never revealing their identity to the viewer. Occasionally, the chemistry overtakes the subject, while other photographs remind us of traditional figurative studies with just a hint of chemical manipulation. Although my photographs flow from traditional portrait photography to abstraction, there is a consistent connection to the corporeal. There is tension and sensuality in these photographs that feels familiar and mysterious at the same time.