Sparklers

After extended periods of working with carefully controlled studio light, I began to feel the need for something less obedient. In July, I started photographing portraits lit only by sparklers. The light is dim, chaotic, and brief — flaring, collapsing, and disappearing almost as soon as it appears. Its instability demands attention. In these portraits, light is not something I direct, but something I respond to, shaping the images through limitation rather than control. I return to this practice each summer, allowing the season and its conditions to determine the work.