BEHIND THE SCREEN: SOCIAL DISTANCING PORTRAITS

Even before COVID-19, connecting with others through our screens was commonplace.  Smart phones and laptop cameras make it easy to take and send self-portraits to anyone anywhere.

This screen interaction affects how we see ourselves and relate to each other.

By sharing pics and videos, including those considered NSFW (not safe for work), we can attract partners, exchange fantasies, and explore the beauty in one another. 

For this project, I photographed people photographing themselves.  Rather than direct the subjects, I tried to "get out of the way" and be more of a photojournalist.  I encouraged each model to wear (or not wear) what they wanted and to pose in their own way as I moved through the space to get interesting angles and compositions.  Mirrors and doorways, while providing visual dimension, also offered symbolic suggestions of reflections and portals to break through isolation.

Some participants expressed a desire to take selfies outside.  For them, nature provides sanctuary and a place to feel the earth and see the sky.

I came to discover that the phone itself, however inanimate, held a special place for each model during the pandemic.  Familiar, comfortable, and reliable, the phone could be touched safely.  It will continue to be an intimate partner, perhaps even more so, in a post-pandemic world.