Artists & Synopsis

Of all the artists I looked at, Rineke Dijkstras beach series was the one I connected to the most. What I really care about is studying how people hold themselves when they know they are being watched. I love photographing body language; the way we try to subtly hide ourselves from being analyzed by others, how much one single gesture can convey about levels of comfort. What Dijkstra does with this beach series is make this hyper-aware body language the focal point of the image. These are not images about youth or the environment or individualism. These images, to me, are about discomfort. Even the most experienced of models can look stiff in front of a camera, and that is because when the subject knows they are being photographed, they hide themselves completely and put on a show. They hold themselves in a way that they imagine will be flattering or appealing, not necessarily in a way that is truly representative of who they are. This is the most interesting thing to me. In a way, portraits are these everlasting testaments to who we are, or who we once were, and instead of embracing that and pushing ourselves out there to be seen and remembered we change how we present ourselves to make who we are possibly more appealing to the viewer. It's a true reflection of a sad theme prevalent throughout youth culture, which is that regardless of how wonderful or beautiful you may be just being who you are, appealing to the masses is what makes you good enough to be remembered. It's this psychology that I am interested in studying through photography, not only in others but in myself as well.