July 4th

patriotism+best friend+flash

This July 4th, I spent the day with my best friend and her family along with attendees of their annual Fourth of July Pool Party. For a photographer interested in the portrayal of the American South, the day could not have been more inspiring.

Adolescent boys battled for pool rafts with great ferocity.

Tables were filled with food.

Guests sported red, white, and blue as did the house itself.

But of all the photographs from the day, this was my favorite. My best friend, Leah, stands at attention in stark contrast to her surroundings. The flash has isolated her completely. She is stoic. Making the viewer aware that the photograph was taken on the Fourth of July is important to me. It gives posture and facial expression a context. The joy and festivities of the day are absent in this image, leaving only patriotic duty and component of personal identity.

Leah, July 4, 2010