When we first stepped through the door of the space that would eventually become our photography studio, we were greeted by a long diagonal wall that created a quirky little corner near the front entrance. I immediately thought about Irving Penn, who was a well-known 20th-century photographer. He was famous for several types of work, including a series of portraits that featured people backed up into a narrow corner. Remembering this, I was excited to use the spot for some unique black and white portraits.
It took a lot of time and energy to settle on a functional and beautiful design for the studio that minimized the awkwardness of the diagonal wall. But our final design maintained the possibility of using the corner for photography.
During the first 6 months of working full time in the new studio, I found myself thinking in circles about how to kick off this little corner thing in a way that people would understand. Did it even make sense?
Eventually I knew for sure this idea was not going to leave me alone, so I finally announced the project on Instagram with a simple explanation: We have this cool corner that makes me think of Irving Penn, and I want to photograph people there. It will be fun and funky. Who wants “in”?
Since making that post a month ago, I’ve photographed 15 people in the corner, and counting. I’ve loved seeing old friends, connecting with clients in new ways, and even meeting new people along the way. There’s a different kind of connection happening here. It’s a feeling of playfulness. A sense of “just because” – and I love it.
Why am I doing this? Perhaps the answer is simply because I can. I’m doing it because an acute-angled corner is unusual and it makes you pause. I’m doing it because isolating a person in a corner and stripping away variables like color and environmental cues forces a person to shine in a novel way. I’m doing it because I want to help people show themselves as they are at the core. This world is a crazy place where each of us gets to chart our own course and create a life we love. Every person on this earth deserves to take a moment to appreciate the masterpiece they’ve crafted. To me, that’s what this project is about. We’re paring things down to the core: it’s just you, a small corner, and shades of black, white, and grey. What piece of you will you preserve? What elements do you want to live on in your legacy?
We’re working on a project page for the website, where you can follow our updates, and even get involved in the project yourself. For the moment this blog post is the “Cornered” home. So, if you’d like to be a part of it, give us a call or drop a line, and we’ll be happy to go over the details.