The Dominican Republic

This series, shot in several remote areas of the Dominican Republic was the first time I reached a level of intimacy with my subjects since I was handed a camera as a child.

Previously I had been photographing well-known, oftentimes famous subjects in the fashion industry, and therefore was usually familiar with the background of my subjects. While working on this series, I was struck by the fact that these were people I knew nothing about, and who were not used to being photographed. The combination of my interest in these fresh faces and their experience of being photographed resulted in a level of intimacy that I had not encountered before. I had no idea, upon arriving on this small island that this trip would serve as a catalyst for a major focus change in my work.

The tremendous respect I have for these people is hopefully apparent in their trusting faces that I have captured.

It is as if I finally realized why I wanted to be a photographer in the first place.

I would like to go back, after all these years, and document what has become of my “adopted family”, for they were the first to remind me of what humanity is all about.