"The Outwin 2016" Finalist: Jarod Lew

Out of over 2,500 entries in the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, 43 artists have their work shown in the exhibition “The Outwin 2016: American Portraiture Today.” Read more about one of the finalists, Jarod Lew.

What about the sitter inspired you?

I got to know Audrey and her older sister Katie while photographing them. We shared stories about each other's past. Katie said to me in a very serious tone of voice "when Audrey was younger she would always say ‘life is a lie.’” I think Audrey's truthful-ness in her own beliefs is what inspired me during our time together.

What made you decide to depict this sitter as you did?

While exploring Audrey's world I noticed that she shared a room with her older sister. I wanted to depict Audrey in an environment that she could call her own. I wanted the viewer to feel like an outsider. What better place to depict a high school teenage girl than her own first car?

How did your work develop from idea to execution?

I knew I wanted to photograph Audrey in her own car after she gave me permission to observe her life. I became frustrated with how the shoot was going so I decided to call it quits. Before I had the chance to say anything, her phone rang and she told me that it was her grandmother and she needed to pick it up. While taking my camera down from my tripod she turned and whispered "sorry, one more minute." I knew then that this was what I was looking for the whole time so, I quickly loaded another roll of film into my camera and whispered her name. She slowly turned and stared right into the lens. It almost seemed like she knew exactly what I was going to do. I made three frames before her grandmother said goodbye. This was the last frame I made before she got off the phone.

How does the piece fit within your larger body of work?

This photograph is part of my series titled South of Heaven which, is a chapter within a larger project that takes place in various suburban communities near Detroit, Michigan. The work explores the lives of families and individuals living the so called American dream post white flight.

You can see Lew’s work in “The Outwin 2016: American Portraiture Today,” up now through Jan. 8, 2017. Also, be sure to vote in our People’s Choice Competition.