category:HUMAN
This project is rooted in my connection to the trans community—specifically, transmasculine people. I’ve been photographing using tilt-shift lensing and motion blur, techniques that distort certain features and create a sense of ambiguity. I’m drawn to this approach because it reflects some of the complexities and frustrations I feel around how identity is perceived—what people see, what they assume, and what they miss.
There’s a quiet tension in not being easily read by others. Through these images, I want to share a bit of that feeling—the push and pull of visibility and misunderstanding. It’s something I’ve experienced personally, and I see it happen so often within the community. There are still so many assumptions and stereotypes placed on trans people, and they often don’t leave space for the full, messy, human truth of who someone is.
I came across a quote not long ago that’s stuck with me. It said something like: There are billions of people in the world, and we learn all their names. But there are only a few pronouns, and we struggle to remember them. It made me pause. Not because it was trying to prove a point—but because it spoke to something simple and real. Most people just want to be recognized for who they are. That kind of honesty takes courage.
This work isn’t about telling anyone what to think. It’s about creating space—for reflection, for empathy, and maybe for a little discomfort too. Because sometimes that discomfort is the first step toward seeing someone more clearly.
