Artist Statement: A Human Being in an Image

A portrait is a piece created with four hands; the photographer can only take what the subject gives — no more, no less.

The portrait photographer is ambitious, trying to capture the essence of a human being in a single image. To do this, they traditionally include an attribute of the subject in the frame: the warrior with his shield, the boxer with his gloves or the journalist with his books.

But this series of portraits is not traditional, and its complexity was unprecedented for me. The subjects’ attributes are not physical or tangible; they stood in front of my camera because they had returned after making a mistake.

Knowing the details of their crimes seemed useless in describing them. “If you are judged by your worst day, who would any of us be?” asks Thomas Kail, director of the musical "Hamilton".

I tried not to overwhelm myself with too much information and came to the sessions without prejudice. We achieved warm, exciting and aesthetic encounters, some lasting minutes, others hours, but always rich and rewarding.

The shots are very close, almost always with faces in the foreground, without noise or distraction. Their eyes are the focal point. Behind them, in the background, are the two oceans, the desert, the blue sky or their everyday spaces, blurred. On their faces, the fierce light of this generous, vast and complex land. At other times, the flash of a simple light.

There are hundreds of photographs from each session; the first ones paved the way for their facial muscles to align and tell who they are.

These images aim to reveal beings who feel stigmatized, grateful, melancholic, euphoric, excited and fearful for having been given a second chance.

It was a beautiful privilege to do this work.

Go to the homepage of the book “Portraits of a New Beginning.”