Concept
Project Edge began with a question: what happens when a portrait session strips away the familiar performance of looking polished, smiling on cue, and presenting only an acceptable exterior?
I designed a custom light modifier and developed a deliberately raw, high-contrast editing style to push each face toward texture, tension, and immediacy. Each volunteer was photographed for approximately five minutes and asked simply to bring their own personality to the surface—to be present without performing for the camera.
These portraits are not intended to meet conventional standards of beauty. They ask the viewer to look longer, move past first impressions, and consider the individuality that exists beneath the roles, occupations, lifestyles, and labels we assign to one another.
Results
Sixty-seven volunteers participated in less than three weeks. The project grew primarily through social media, demonstrating not only the reach of those networks but also a broader desire to participate in a shared artistic experience. People from many walks of life stepped forward to be seen on their own terms—and, together, became the work.