This portrait series looks closely at the somewhat marginalized relationship between cellphones and people.

 

I’m interested in different ways to present the individual in their contemporary setting. People are so often seen with their cell phone, but the worthiness to capture that is usually unapparent. Nearly all of the photos were created on the Washington D.C. Metro and surrounding areas.

 

There are so many people on their cell phones and unaware of their surrounding that I am able to either create an image instantly from a reaction to my feelings and become aware of what is most appealing, or carefully compose the image and retake it multiple times. I didn’t realize I was starting a serious series until many photos were created. While interning at a photo studio in Washington D.C., I wanted to continue practicing my retouching while having a reason to take my camera everywhere outside of the studio. These images were originally not meant to be shared, as there initially was a sense of discomfort as I reviewed the images. After editing and organizing the images, I felt as though they were something worth sharing.

 

Many things can be said about these images, regarding the emergence of cell phones in our lives. As I was taking these images, It felt a bit strange. I was always with a group of other interns in my commute taking the pictures, and I sometimes humorously walked up to strangers and captured images without any notice or care. It may be the power of cell phones to remove us from our environment. Certainly, there is a change in personality and behavior when people are using their cell phones, which contributes to my interest in creating and sharing these images. Other times, I would shoot from the waste of the person was really unique to me or there was a chance of disturbing them.

 

A few other photographers that I’ve looked at are Walker Evans, Bruce Davidson and Bob Mazzer, for their usually candid and similar subjects. Much less sneaking than Evans though, due to Washington D.C. being a tourist area with many other people carrying their cameras. As I referred to before, perhaps I was also looking at these artists as a justification to share these images. These images allow a moment of self-reflection through the sense of vulnerability.

 

However unique and different the figures are in the images, it is possible to place oneself within the image, giving attention to the sensation of interacting with a cell phone because otherwise, you may be lost in the moment.

The argument on our dependency/affinity with technology can go either way but one can’t deny that photographer Jeremy Dennis captures a significant phenomenon that has come along in recent years. Negative or not, Dennis’ subjects are experiencing private moments that fully isolates them from their surroundings. Their complete submersion allowed him to set up a perfect portrait of each unsuspecting character in his series “Cell.”