Themes / Closeness and Possession

Closeness and Possession

I can want intense closeness with someone without wanting to know every detail of their life. That desire can include a wish to possess them. Bodies meet and their outlines merge in these photographs, while each person continues to have a separate life.

In the glossary: Ambivalent Closeness

Two closely overlapping figures, with a hand against a shoulder and a visible face turned towards the edge of the frame.

The closeness is real, even when my understanding is partial. A photograph can hold the wish to merge alongside the limits of what I know or want to find out. I return to that unresolved relationship between desire, knowledge and another person’s independence.

Two standing figures lean together against a pink background, with one arm raised and their lower bodies softened by a pink blur.
Two faces remain visible above pale overlapping bodies and encircling arms against a deep pink background.

The Kiss

Sim asked for a photograph of a kiss for her own portfolio. I first photographed her and Jason with another camera, then used my faulty one. Their outlines seem to flow into each other. I recognise my own wish to merge with another person in an image that began with something Sim wanted for herself.

Two people kissing, their faces and upper bodies crossed by shifted pale and reddish outlines.
Sim and Jason.
Two standing figures merge into a pale blurred form, while their legs remain distinguishable against a dark background.
A seated figure at the left and a partially visible standing figure at the right, separated by light from a window.
A single reclining figure against a red background, with a bent knee, an arm and bright areas of reflected light.

Contact

Luca chose this pose himself. I had not thought of asking for it, but the unusual angles interested me. There is only one person in this photograph. Perhaps the title refers to his contact with me as the photographer. I can be present with another person without knowing everything about them.

From the Adult Entertainment Portrait Project

Dim-Sightedness

How a few familiar details can become enough to build a whole understanding around.

Adult Entertainment Portrait Project

Portraits and conversations about the difference between being seen and being known.

All themes