Chicago Project-John Sundlof

People have been hanging clothes out to dry since forever began but that is not why I chose to photograph them and their wash. Partly, I chose their laundry lines to get my foot in the door. But also, wash dancing out on a line provides dynamic, anthropomorphic shapes as props in a fertile, evocative stage set for portraits, found moments, odd fictions, and mini-dramas. Randomly encountered everyday people are the main characters. In the short time that I have with these generous people, I try to arrange or cajole them into something that may or may not have anything to do with their characters, relationships, or lots in life. Working very loosely and usually having no idea who is going to answer the door as my subject, happy accident is frequently my collaborator.

The intention here is not to document, though some form of documentary relic is an inevitable byproduct. These were one time only opportunities. In this project, I am a travelling salesman where the transaction is my subject’s time plus a model release in exchange for a print or a fee. The product is counter-celebrity photography. Much of the world seems focused on celebrities at the expense of practically everything. Highly sought after, images of celebrities are inherently interesting because of their subject’s fame and, not infrequently, in spite of the blandness of the images themselves. I am looking to discover people in the mundane world and reveal them to be as compelling, or even more so, than the ever-changing parade of celebrities who dominate so much of our attention. In this project - just as with celebrity photography - truth, objective reality, or whatever you want to call it takes a back seat. I am not actually avoiding it but I am not necessarily seeking it out either. Expression, diversion, and story telling are the aims.

Since its beginnings, photography has had to deal with the blessing and curse of its link to physical reality. As they ever have been, photographs are only partial truths even when produced for their most objective uses and literal intentions.

Evanston, Illinois - Ruby Primps (1997)	Buffalo, Wyoming - Lee (1995)	Richmond, Illinois - Bruce and Lynne with Levi (1999)
Allston, Massachusetts - Gloria (1997)	Allston, Massachusetts - Gloria's Mother (1997)	Chicago, Illinois - Rebecca & Greg (1994)
Hamilton, Michigan - Harvey & June with Dakota Farofield (1995)	Kasbeer, Illinois - Sam (1999)	Sheridan, Wyoming - Bruce and his Guitar (2000)
Augusta, Kentucky - Tony Taylor (last drag) (1996)	Saddlestring, Wyoming - Wranglers Roost (1997)	Killbuck, Ohio - Katie Miller (2006)

People have been hanging clothes out to dry since forever began but that is not why I chose to photograph them and their wash. Partly, I chose their laundry lines to get my foot in the door. But also, wash dancing out on a line provides dynamic, anthropomorphic shapes as props in a fertile, evocative stage set for portraits, found moments, odd fictions, and mini-dramas. Randomly encountered everyday people are the main characters. In the short time that I have with these generous people, I try to arrange or cajole them into something that may or may not have anything to do with their characters, relationships, or lots in life. Working very loosely and usually having no idea who is going to answer the door as my subject, happy accident is frequently my collaborator. The intention here is not to document, though some form of documentary relic is an inevitable byproduct. These were one time only opportunities. In this project, I am a travelling salesman where the transaction is my subject’s time plus a model release in exchange for a print or a fee. The product is counter-celebrity photography. Much of the world seems focused on celebrities at the expense of practically everything. Highly sought after, images of celebrities are inherently interesting because of their subject’s fame and, not infrequently, in spite of the blandness of the images themselves. I am looking to discover people in the mundane world and reveal them to be as compelling, or even more so, than the ever-changing parade of celebrities who dominate so much of our attention. In this project - just as with celebrity photography - truth, objective reality, or whatever you want to call it takes a back seat. I am not actually avoiding it but I am not necessarily seeking it out either. Expression, diversion, and story telling are the aims. Since its beginnings, photography has had to deal with the blessing and curse of its link to physical reality. As they ever have been, photographs are only partial truths even when produced for their most objective uses and literal intentions.