Made in USA

This photo was born around the time immigration and the border fence were such a hot topic. About then my photography class was assigned the "setup" shot. In a setup shot you have the opportunity to say something or to simply engage the viewer.

I knew generally how I wanted to the shot to play out. I purchased some metal signs from Target and some flag fabric from Hobby Lobby. My friend Erin kindly agreed to be in the photograph. We took several photos down in the photo lab at school. It was nice to work with all the lighting equipment. Finally, after shooting for about an hour, we got a good shot. I appreciate this one for several reasons; one it keeps Erin's eyes out of the photo and therefore does not make her the focus. Two, her green shirt works great in front of the flag. And lastly, if you look real close (particularly on the high resolution version of the photo) you'll see the bottom of the sign says "Made in USA". Which went perfectly with the idea of the setup, so I named the photograph that.

Presenting this photograph was the first time I felt real nervousness about my work and how people would respond. You have to remember the issue was being seriously debated around this time. But, to my surprise, everyone really enjoyed the photograph and it's relevancy.