This project was born from a life long fascination with Old Hollywood and the stars that defined it. Through photographing my friends as icons of another era, I am attempting to connect with the screen stars of the past and to explore my nostalgia for a time I was never a part of. Looking to the work of photographers like George Hurrell, Sam Shaw, and Phil Stern, these photographs are my impressions. They are meant to be viewed as publicity images that were never used, outtakes from an iconic photo session, or as a complete manifestation of how I see each star.
The first image in this series and the image that has set the tone for this project is of my friend Patricia Garcia as Ingrid Bergman. I had photographed Patricia multiple times before, but as I shot with her for my OR.I.GIN coffee project, something about her appearance reminded me of Ingrid. I shared my idea with Patricia and one night in Brooklyn, we put on the soundtrack to Casablanca, I did her makeup, we found the clothes- straight from her closet, and we went to Morocco.
From this first shoot and with every shoot since there has been a moment. The moment comes while looking through the view finder of my camera, before I catch my focus. When the image is a bit fuzzy and my subject is settling into their persona, for a brief moment I feel as though I have traveled back in time.
This is the moment I am chasing.
This project is ongoing and in full swing. Here are the images so far- many more to come!
