Letting Go . Is a project I  created to explore the moment no one can see. Making intimate portraits of importantpeople in my  life using high speed strobe and water. The idea is to use splashes of water to instill an instance of shock to be portrayed by the subject. With a deep understanding of psychology and having learned about the purpose of catharsis, I wanted to help facilitate letting go for someone and capture it with my true passion for photography. Throughout my photography journey I found water to be a very effective way to get emotion out of my subject.  I spent 30 minutes before the portrait session discussing what letting go meant to each person. After interviewing  my subjects they would have a physical letting go moment with water, this becomes a kind of baptism, cleansing or letting go. In my  work I always look  for that moment where the model gets lost in the shot and finding that expression is a key factor for why I  choose to do this kind of project.

Brian “When I let go of people and things that didn’t serve a purpose for me, that’s when I was able to start letting go in the rest of my life. This past year I had to grow a lot after leaving a job, getting a new one, and losing two girlfriends. I still managed to be happy with myself. I’m learning every day how to let go, and I think I’m getting good at it.”

Jan“I love sitting down with a glass of wine and just chilling out. I’m pretty simple like that. Just let me hang out for a while.”

Joe “I just got a new pool table. I love coming home and playing on it. It’s just one way I let go. I’m a person who needs to let go, and being part of many things helps take stuff off my mind.”

Lawton“Exercise is what does it for me. It’s all about being physical. That’s my release.”

Rich “To be honest, I love to gamble. It’s a high that gets me out of my head. I’m not very good at it, but it still helps me release what’s in there.”

James “My friends know me and can call me on my bullshit. Being with them is how I let shit go.”

Diane “For me, I do charity. I love to help at the church. It fills my heart with good, and I can let go of everything I was sad about.”

Debbie “I have two things I like to do to let go. I either read a book while lying in bed with a cup of tea, Sleepy Time tea, or I do my pilates. I have a gym at home, which lets me exercise alone and just think about everything. I love to be by myself with no one to bother me, and work through whatever I need to get out.”

Jim “I like to read, I like to do things with my hands....to accomplish something with out too much thought helps me let go. “

Derek “I love walking the streets and taking pictures. I’m a street photographer. Sometimes home life can be stressful, but when I’m out with my people and capturing the moments around me, I can really let go.”

Madison “I love to read a good book and get lost in it.Listening to music from people I love also helps, and so does watching movies. That’s what I do when I just need to get away.”

Alan “I’m leaving the country soon. I’ve been scared about what’s going to happen next, which makes me want to stay inside all the time. Letting go is very important to me, but I just don’t know if I can do it the way I’m living now.”

Ramone “I love going into my room and getting on Twitter or Instagram, and being with all the friends I can’t be with now because we left college. I feel like I “let go” the best when I’m with my own people. For me now, it’s on my phone, when I can make them laugh from miles away.

“I just rejoined a church and it was really an amazing experience. I think that will be my new way of letting some things go. I’m really excited.“

Gabe “Talking to my dog, my rabbit, and my girlfriend about my everyday experience helps me get through. I play video games to vent my frustrations, but I still struggle with how to let go.”

Kareem “Putting on a good movie or TV show and just jumping into it helps me let go. I do a review page on Instagram, so I write a little about the movie while I’m watching it. This makes me forget about all my problems.”

Kevin “Letting go is playing a guitar solo alone for no one but me.”

Kara “I think working out is the best way to let go. I really don’t do it enough, but when I do I feel my best.”

Oliver “For me, letting go is separating your work and home life. I don’t like to bring my work home with me. I know a lot of people do that, but I need to separate my mind when I leave work.”

Whitney “I let go by being alone and listening to music. I have a lot to think about, and music is my best bet at working it all out.”

Clarissa “I’m really struggling right now with letting go. I just lost my father, and I can’t seem to make it happen.”

Sasha “I’ve found that the best way to let go of my past is to give myself the time to do it. Moving to New York City and having great friends there has helped a lot. I also have a great community at my yoga studio. Time is really my key, though, so I’m really working on letting go every day.”

Chris “I let go in various ways, depending on the day and the situation. I do like to talk to people, but sometimes I just want to be alone and take a walk where there’s no one around. If I really want to let go of stuff, though, I need to talk it out to get the best answers.”

Carmen“Get me a good stiff drink and a hot bath and I can let go.”