Stefanie_Storm

artist : statement

I photograph my family and friends in their bedrooms and personal spaces. Formal elements are considered; a muted color pallet and skin tone serves to isolate the figure against their domestic backdrop. I feel domestic environments are projections of identity and reveal intimate details about the individual. The photographs explore familial structures and their influence upon social relationships. Additionally, they investigate the individual and the way we construct our identities in the context of family and community.
My portraits are deliberate and planned, capturing an intimate and often awkward presentation or performance. The posed postures or stances are often identical to those I carry throughout my self-portraiture and are sympathetic to my own self-consciousness and personality. Although I have personal relationships with the individuals photographed, I feel that the relationship is often obscured or quieted through the process of photography. The camera acts as a barrier or obtrusion that often establishes a distance that makes the subject vulnerable. This detachment creates a sense of unease from those photographed. I am interested in capturing these expressions of timidity and hesitation.