K(no)w Fear

The whole concept behind my exhibition was to personalize my fears and give them life through photography, recreating them in strange and dreamlike situations. The environments I constructed were made possible through various props, angles, and photo manipulation in Photoshop. Some of the props used include coffins, Polaroids, cardboard boxes, and fish hooks. Each photograph suggests one of my fears, though many are not literal representations because they are intangible. I felt it was necessary for each photograph to feature a different model to create a sense of anonymity and allow viewers to connect to my fears more personally. Another goal of this project was to show that just because you know someone doesn’t mean you know their fears. Every person carries individual circumstances, and I believe fear is a major part of what makes us human. My final attempt to help people connect with my fears was to invite them to write their own on the gallery wall, publicly sharing something about themselves just as I had.

Like everyone else, I’ve always had fear in my life. More specifically, I suffer from Galeophobia, the fear of sharks. It had always been a fun fact about myself, but it wasn’t until I took a ceramics class that I truly began exploring fear. Why do we have them? Why do some people fear things others dismiss? I explored ideas such as my friends’ fears, the stages of fear, and even created my own mythology of fear, but I never stopped to think about my own. It’s difficult to sit down and consider what truly terrifies you because it isn’t always present. It took me weeks to realize I was actually afraid of the fears represented here, which makes them feel authentic rather than last-minute ideas. Putting my fears on display has been both therapeutic and deeply personal, exposing what are essentially my weaknesses.

To make this project work, I relied on three essential tools: my camera, tripod, and Photoshop. Beyond that came the models, props, and locations. Most of the models were friends, though many lived hours away, as did several locations. Because most photographs were taken outdoors, weather and harsh sunlight often dictated my schedule. Building and gathering props became another challenge. The nine coffins in Fear of Death took my father and me nearly two weeks to build, while other props depended on availability or timing. Each final image came from hundreds of photographs, allowing me to experiment with different perspectives and compositions. Photography involves countless variables—lighting, composition, focus—and any of them can change in an instant. Some shoots also required assistants to help transport equipment and construct the scenes.

The series is ongoing, and I continue adding to it (Fear of Not Existing onward).