Junior Prom — Durham, NC — April 2015
camera: Canon 5D Mark II
lens: Canon EF 24-70mm
settings: ISO 500, 35mm, f/8, 1/160
Having written a dissertation on school photography, I cannot help but view the opportunity to participate in taking prom pictures as a chance to create images that dance around academic institutions and explore how relationships form between students. Prom pictures maintain a formality, projecting into a future where they will function as aide-mémoire, but — in the digital age of social media — must be turned around quickly for sharing. These photos are public-facing, yet private and tender. Junior prom is especially unique, marking maturity without finality. This year, the group chose an abandoned nursing home as the backdrop: extensive rubble from the crumbling walls and ceiling; graffiti that could be generally aged by degrees of integrity, since it lay over peeling lead paint; and no interal electricity, so we had to hump a battery pack in.
Special thanks to Alex Boerner for manning the backlighting strobe, and to Kallyn Boerner for helping pose, and to both of them for the use of an additional light and battery pack.