2008 - Windows to the Soul (a series)

This was an assignment for a class I was taking. We were to choose something that would require more than one image to capture the idea and form a series. I loved this project, it's been one of my favorites. We were also to write an artist's statment about the series. I've included that as well:

All of my life I have been fascinated with the power of well-executed portraits. Their ability to tell about a person and to reveal things about that person is incredible. I’ve found that to me the most inspiring portraits are simple, honest depictions of everyday people… not grinning or saying “cheese” as their picture is taken, but showing a little of their “true self” to the camera. In these portraits expressions are sincere, whether they are filled with joy or deep sadness. Portrait photographer Steve McCurry once spoke of the striking aspect of honest portrait photography. He explained that when a subject reaches out in a manner of speaking, willing to show a part of themselves to the world, these portraits can be truly inspiring and can invoke powerful emotions in those who view them.
I am particularly drawn to the expression of the eyes in these portraits. I have always been enthralled by the incredibly powerful and expressive way a person can portray emotion with only their eyes. Thousands of words can be communicated without a word ever being spoken. Certainly the posture of the mouth and other parts of the face can contribute to this, but nothing seems to be quite as powerful as the eyes.
For this reason I chose to capture a series of images to portray the beauty and communicative power of eyes; to show how striking and telling a single expression of the eyes can be. I love how a person who may not know the pictured subjects at all can identify with them in even a small way through these images. The eyes have after all been called ‘windows to the soul’.