Southern Faces 2012-2013
Southern Faces is a project photographing the LGBTQ+ community in Alabama. It was born out of my own desire to hear the stories of those around me, especially the people who I became closet to. I explore how a person's identity is shaped through these portraits as a way to identify how influences such as religion, class, socio-economic background, and race mold a person into what they can and will become throughout their life. Using a medium format camera, I capture these expressions throughout a series of questions asked about certain aspects of their life that they wouldn't normally share with others. By asking them to be vulnerable with me through the act of being photographed, I learn more about what it means to be queer in Alabama, as well as in the South.