FIGHTERS

When we consider fighters, we think of professional boxers or mixed martial artists. Those that put their bodies on the line for glory in a test of brawn and intestinal fortitude coupled with tactical training and muscle memory. 

Fighting is not just about winning and losing. Sometimes simply battling is a victory unto its own. Everyone I photographed for this project is fighting some sort of battle. The cancer survivor, the former police officer, the assault survivor that’s not taking any more shit, ever again. The addict. The one fighting for a better way. These battles don’t have losers but there are no championship belts here, either. The winning comes in the fight. There are fighters in all of us. 

When I first began this project, I recall the feelings I felt looking at the works of Gordon Parks when he profiled Muhammad Ali for Life Magazine. That feeling of intimacy and rapport that he had with his subjects just floored me. I take photographs of people that show an under and an overstanding of the stories they carry, the feelings they exhibited, the real-life that shows up in the images I create while in their presence.