En-Media-Res

      In 2009 I started my first fine art series, En-Media-Res. I drew my inspiration from one of my, now, favorite photographers; Nan Goldin. The vast amount of images that she used to document her life pulled me in. The sadness in her images evoked such a strong curiosity in me. She had lived a life that I knew nothing about. She lived in a world of transvestites, drugs, physical and emotional abuse, suicide, AIDS, etc. Though, I am truly grateful that I have not had to face the hardships that she has made it through, I can't help but be curious of a life I do not know. I started to look within my own circle of friends. I started to look within myself. I realized that the relationships that had grown between the friends in my circle and myself were nothing short of special and interesting themselves. I had gotten to know a special group of people and our lives became intertwined. I started to see them more on a family level. I cared for them. I loved them. At the beginning of a friendship everything is good and you see the "good sides" of people. Over time, the flaws come out. Tradgedy strikes in someone's life and you are there to witness how they handle it and what it may bring out in them. You are also there, by their side, to ensure that things will get better. Even through all the flaws, when you grow closer and still love them, that is real.
    I was inspired to start my own documentation of my friends. This new series took me on a journey of exploration. It led me to look at my friends once again through objective eyes. I saw them from an outsider's view; as if I didn't know them and they were strangers. I saw their quirky traits and habits come through the lens and into the image. I will continue this series for as long as I desire to.

My words on En-Media-Res:
      
    
    

"I salvage what I can. I record bits and pieces of my life using any device available. I am afraid of losing the people close to me. Most of all, I fear forgetting them.

These photos are the recordings of my life as it is now, in the present. These are the people that run in my circles and some that I am close to and love.

Most of my life is spent after the sun goes down. Nocturnal creatures, we come to life at night.

Sex, drugs, & rock n’ roll. Sans the emptiness that is usually implied with that phrase’s place of reference, instead it fits in an intimate circle of friends whose lives are woven together like unmatching threads of varying texture and color. Different in many ways, we still find common ground to share.

I want to capture the raw intimate moments between these people, as well as the moments that define their individual characteristics. Unfiltered, this is a glimpse into an aspect of my life; a peephole into the NOW. A voyeuristic view of young adults unleashed and living their seemingly free lives, unbridled by authority or suppression."

-Susan Pugh

Here are some images from the first series "En-Media-Res"