Body of Work

As I reached the completion of my “Home Work” project -- a business established to produce real estate photographs -- a conceptual piece with visual and financial components -- I wanted to move from unpopulated architectural interiors to images that concentrated on human form, while retaining reference to economics, exchange, and the public display of intimate space. In 2007, mixed martial arts were legalized in North Carolina, largely through efforts undertaken by Doug Muhle, owner of Carolina Fight Promotions. Earning the title of Official Photographer for CFP allowed full access to all events, including cageside seats where -- using a wide aperture -- I could shoot through the cage, putting viewers into the action. My hope with these photographs is to illustrate how balances are struck: between sport and violence; between fit bodies and bodies under stress; between protection and injury; between subjects and photographers; between amateurs and professionals; between close contact and spectacle.