Grand Rapids
Before I broke my neck in 2009, I was already obsessed with capturing desire, even if I didn’t fully understand what I was building. Back then, I’d buy Polaroid film from Walgreens down the street, writing checks I hoped wouldn’t bounce until payday. These Polaroids are raw and urgent — my first experiments photographing queer intimacy without knowing Polaroid’s history as a lifeline for gay men. Instant film was private, physical, and permanent, and I was instinctively drawn to it. Looking back, these images feel like the beginning of my voice — messy, unpolished, and completely my own.