Carson // Denver Portraits

Irving Penn said he tried to "photograph people at rest, in a state of serenity." Part of me is drawn to that idea, but a bigger part of me wants the laugh-- the real laugh. I think about the 17-year-olds I photograph for their senior portraits, and their lives are anything but serene. I remember being filled with uncertainty about the future, bipolar flashes of self-confidence and self-doubt, and a rotating feeling of glee and dread when faced with the idea of leaving home; it's like waking up in warm sheets to the smell of coffee on a cold day of winter--when the prospect of removing limbs from cotton tugs back in equal strength to the prospect of fingers molded around a hot mug. Glee and dread, back and forth. So, my favorite portraits of these young people are the ones where they're laughing in the chaos--or maybe laughing at it.I so enjoyed photographing Carson's portraits (and spending time with his amazing parents). He is unique in that he could walk between both states--serenity and delight, restfulness and felicity--when photographed. Throughout this entire morning, we chatted and laughed, and I felt like Iriving Penn would have been inspired by Carson's calm, kind demeanor. But again, my favorite portraits are the ones where his laughter is as colorful and vibrant as the street art behind him.