Sanctuary
“If women are judged by appearance along with expectations and projections on to what that appearance should be, photography must necessarily serve to consciously deconstruct gender representations by providing matter of fact illustrations. The camera is something that has the ability to problematize as well as emancipate”
- Sontag and Leibovitz 1999
My current work focuses on environmental portrait photography, exploring the relationship between individuals and their environments and how the two interact to shape one another. My project ‘Sanctuary’, looks at the safety of women in their home environment, and how they adjust these spaces to reflect their personality allowing for feeling of comfort. A key part of this project for me has been capturing my subjects in their home spaces to document this side of female living. In this way, I aim to counteract the stereotypical and perfected images we often see of women at home in lifestyle and fashion photography.
I choose to photograph digitally and on medium format film for intimate portrait images. I choose to use medium format film as it allows for a slower process, giving myself time to observe each individual in their environment and focus on the details that make them unique. On the other hand, shooting digitally has allowed me to shoot in darker lighting conditions, which helps to create a subtle mood.
