Dragcon, 2018 - NYC
In 2018 I was hired by both Candy Magazine and The Standard to photograph Dragcon at the Javits Center, but honestly I would have done it for free. You know my ass loves a convention.
There’s just something about the concentrated energy of a convention that is intoxicating to me, everyone there is so excited about the different aspects of a central theme, and so they go all out in their celebration of this thing, its a temporary alternative universe where everything is shifted slightly and everyone is connected innately. There’s an intense but temporary new normal in the air.
Looking back at these images has me reminiscing about my time in NYC, a place where people always went above and beyond to turn a look for the sheer love of the game (and because their big break could always be in the audience). So much of a my work is about the extension of the body, the queering of form, a rejection of over-prescribed, societally-given limits of the mind/body. So I’ve always been drawn to Drag Queens (and queer performers broadly) who understand this assignment more than most.
These photos also have me asking myself the question, “why the hell did I ever put down the camera?” - which is frustrating, thinking about all the photos I could have made in the last few years, but it’s also exciting because I’m reminded about this deep love and passion I have for photography, and I feel energized to get back on the horse.
If you enjoy today’s newsletter, please forward this email along to your friends who enjoy: photography, drag queens, and being a bit extra. Or, if you know someone at a gallery or publisher who might be interested in my work, please reach out! I’ve got a 10 year archive that I am digging through.
If you’d like to acquire a print, give me a shout.
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