Rather than developing a concept and following its premise by creating imagery, I often start photographing after being inspired by a strong emotion. Only then do I identify a concept, by looking closely at my pictures.
I am drawn to groups of people who are in a particular stage in their lives, where I had also been before. My ideas stem from a deep compassion towards my subjects as my process allows me to revisit periods in my own past and explore them.
In the series Desperately Perfect, photographing students at one of the most demanding Russian ballet academies in the world helped me understand my hopefulness and frustration in a similar situation. Inspired by my experience as a ballet student for nine years, my images emphasize the emotional side of the childrens' uncompromising reality. Engaged in endless repetition of physical phrases, these students obsessively strive for a level of perfection that is always out of reach.
by Rachel Papo
archival pigment print
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Jen's newsletterThese prints are created using archival pigment inks on 100% cotton rag paper with a luster finish.
Our quoted dimensions are for the size of paper containing the images, not the printed image itself. We do not alter the aspect ratio, nor do we crop or resize the artists' originals. All of our prints have a minimum border of .5 inches to allow for framing.
View more work by Rachel Papo.
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