Creating self-portraits that detail the journey of finding one’s identity, I photograph the performances done in my family’s home. I construct an outlet for recognition, improperly using tools to tighten up loose ends within the family structure and highlighting how their own ways of gender performance within the sport of NHRA Drag Racing have influenced my lifestyle as a gay 22-year-old male. With an upbringing that has always felt so distant, these images have given me the ability to examine the disconnection within the family and put together the pieces that felt broken.

Mentor: Jen Davis, Photographer, Photo Director, NYC & Company

Working with Jen Davis has been a delightful experience, she has enlightened my creative practice with mentoring me on how to investigate spaces that may feel uncomfortable or detached but to reassure myself to be vulnerable and to create a space within the frame. She encouraged me to step back and photograph the spontaneity of a scene, to go into a shoot with full preparation but to always observe the details of the surrounding environment.