An Intimate Glimpse Into Working Class Lives in Midwest America – Feature Shoot

When Chris Verene started experimenting with photography in his teens, his natural reaction was to turn his lens on those closest – his family. For him, family was always based in and around his hometown of Gaelesburg, Illinois – a city of 32,000 cited by Obama as one of the hardest-hit areas by the recession. Verene has been photographing his extended family since 1985, but it was not until 1997 that his pictures emerged into the public realm; before then they’d only passed through the hands of his family, friends, teachers, and classmates. The trust of his family and the naturalness of Verene’s routine, make this a unique collaboration.