Portraiture is one of my favorite formats to shoot.  It’s what I’m most visually drawn to in the works of other artists as well.  It instigates memories.  It forbids you to turn away.  By an indeterminate authority, you acquiesce to an association with the subject.  These three portraits are from a world I know well.  When I asked to shoot these boys (and the beautiful young lady in the featured image),  I was reminded of the humility within the punk rock scene that’s invisible to outsiders.   Not one of them wanted to disappoint me by saying “No”.  At the same time, they were unsure of what to do next.  Still at ages where, although their thoughts and convictions are finding their own, unique voices, the comfort they feel within their own skin is still developing.

You may never find a gathering of more socially awkward people than you will at a punk show.  I don’t see that as a shortcoming.  I see it as show of strength and sensitivity that’s unique to the individuals who congregate there.  They’ve unanimously congealed for reasons which are still arcane to even them.  Silently, they are The Voice Of A Generation.  No one even asked to see the photos afterwards.  That lack of action, in itself, speaks volumes to me.