Two Years OF PORTRAITS...

The primary aim of The Family Tree Project is to chronicle my familial history and, consequently, explore facets of my own identity. This concept has long simmered within me: the notion of capturing my relatives through photography, endeavoring to assemble a collective portrait of as many living family members as possible within the span of a year. What began as a modest undertaking burgeoned into a more extensive project, extending into the subsequent year. It's a tribute to my maternal lineage, with a focal point on the Leroy family tree. The intention is to create a temporal capsule, freezing a moment in time and encapsulating the essence of that year for posterity. Despite harboring this idea for some time, I once doubted both the time and skill required to realize it to a satisfactory standard. However, in the wake of the tumultuous past two years, I've come to realize that there's no time like the present to embark on such a venture. Life's fragility and the relentless march of time compel action now.

For this endeavor, I opted to employ Rembrandt lighting, employing a minimalist approach with just one flash, a black backdrop, and a 85mm lens. Rembrandt lighting derives its name from the illustrious Dutch painter of the 17th century, Rembrandt himself, who famously utilized this lighting technique to profound effect in his masterpieces. At its core, the setup hinges on a single light source, offering a timeless aesthetic to complement the familial narrative captured through the lens.

Portrait: Sharon Simonson