Inner Confrontation

A single moment of a person’s existence captured forever so that we can attempt to see further into their soul. A resolution matters little. It’s what we learn about human nature and ourselves along the way, which makes sharing this moment worthwhile.

My dear friend and serial model Ashleigh shaved her head last year. She asked me along to witness the event. I expected it to be somewhat humorous, but ended up asking if I could come back again the following night to take her portrait.

My feelings toward the resulting image have fluctuated between varying degrees of ambivalence. At its essence is my initial intent to produce a portrait of raw human emotion depending upon the interpretation of the viewer. I wanted to completely detach my work from construction and let it happen naturally and honestly.

I did not always succeed in this and the process with which I went about shooting Inner Confrontation remains in my memory as a little forced. Subsequent sittings with other models left me unfulfilled as I seemed to go off track.

I find it hard to be open with others. If I reach a comfortable place I have a tendency to hold nothing back, but until then my automatic instinct is to behave how I think others would want me to behave. Overcoming this is a big part of my attraction to portraiture. I feel that gaining a greater understanding of others will not only benefit me in understanding them, but also myself.