These images, comprised of 30 to 40 contact prints of 8×10 inch negatives, each of which is shot life-size on the film, are mounted on 16 gauge steel sheets. They are portraits of West Virginia coal miners.
The images are as much about photography as they are about the subjects of the portraits. Photography is literal, so they are shot the same size on the film as they are in life; they are literal images. Still photography captures a slice of time: there is only one exposure for each frame, so they each represent only one slice of time. There are no outtakes.
Photography has always been about subject matter. My work endeavors to change the focus to the photograph and away from the subject matter.
