I know that joy gets a bad rap as having no depth and not being “authentic” (a buzz word), but to me chasing joy is a coping mechanism for all that is going on in the world. It's a place/emotion I like to default to.  Its really a deep-inside joy, a gratefulness (another buzz word) that, after suffering plenty of loss, gives meaning to my life.

So my photography (and this shoot) reflects that. I used color and light in unexpected ways to bring out the feelings I saw and felt while shooting. I shoot only with film and do all my work in camera (i.e. no photoshop) because it's more challenging and seems more in tune with the shoot in front of me. I used light leaks, double exposures, and other in-camera techniques to make these images. The more creative and out of the box the work is, the happier I am.