Link: Spotlight on Angelo Merendino | The Image, Deconstructed
Jennifer was comfortable with me having a camera and she was open with sharing her experience; she kept a blog about her experience and felt it was important to share what she was going through. So much of the information about breast cancer that is available on the Internet can be sterile and Jen wanted to share what it was like from her perspective. At first my photographs were heavy handed. I would make a photograph of a bag of chemotherapy and expect people to understand how messed up it was that my wife had cancer. The photographs were sterile, just like the internet content Jen and I didn’t like.
Then it hit me that I was thinking too much and I just needed to listen to my gut. I decided that the best way to make these photographs would be to always be prepared with my exposure and when I felt something, then I would make a photo. If it moved me, it meant something. The thing is, making these photographs was always second to taking care of Jennifer. I had no intentions of making a book or having exhibitions. These photographs were a way for us to communicate with our family and friends. I wasn’t working with an editor and thinking about the different shots I should be making.
