Instance of being

Instance of Being A series of nude portraits of 15 men. Isolated against a neutral background to enhance the male anatomy, the imagery documents a transition from shame to vulnerability, focusing on the body as a site of comfort and self-reclamation.

Instance of Being began as a personal ritual of reclamation. Having spent much of my adult life breaking down self-imposed walls, the process of coming out as a queer man felt like a violent stripping away of an armor I had spent years perfecting. This project was born from the need to document that transition; not as an observer, but as a participant in the struggle to become vulnerable, and as a way to understand my own masculinity that does not fit the standard.

I wanted a setting as a "neutral ground," a sterile white space intended to isolate the figure from context and distractions. Working with fourteen other men, the sessions became a shared exercise in unlearning. We explored the paradox of exposure: the instinct to shield the face while the body remained bare; a defense mechanism against being truly "seen." Navigating this vulnerability was as difficult for me as it was for the models, as for most, this was their first experience posing in the nude.

Halfway through production, I decided the series could only be complete with a self-portrait. This final act was a necessary restoration of my own image; a move from the anonymity behind the lens into the same light I asked of others. In this self-portrait, I chose to capture myself curled and protected, reflecting the difficulty of facing my own vulnerability. It serves as the closing note of a second birth, marking the moment where the body is no longer a site of shame, but a place of arrival. This transformation makes the project not just a study of others, but a deeply intimate reflection of my own journey, an embodiment of becoming myself.