The project is this collection of portraits of New York City and Oakland, California residents, my close friends. Nearly all of the subjects are women or queer people. I try to capture each person’s personality while maintaining a rigorous commitment to style and setting. Inspired by the highly constructed works of Philip Lorca di Corca and the casual, candid work of Nan Goldin, I mix both fashion and fine art methods. All of my work is on 35 mm film because I enjoy the delayed gratification of waiting for development, and the way film prevents me from cultivating a perfectionist attitude. Though most of my work is posed, the images maintain a comfortable and natural tone. I hope that what emerges in my photographs is a sense of pleasure in looking and being looked at in return.
Blaise is a 25 year old photographer working out of New York City and Oakland, California. She shoots her friends and family in 35mm film and occasionally constructs album covers and promotional images. She is also a PhD student in queer studies, psychoanalysis, and film studies at UC Santa Cruz.
