Wednesday, April 9, 2008

What's In a Face?

I'm sure that at one point or another, if not always, we wonder what we "look like" to other people. Some people wonder if they look pretty enough, thin enough, rich enough, smart enough.

I always wonder what ethnicity I look to people. I'm mixed - my mother is African-American and my father is Mexican-American. Most people think I'm black. Some people ask if I'm Puerto Rican or Cuban. I've also been asked if I'm Brazilian, Ethiopian, Somalian, or Filipino. Strangers on the street have started speaking to me in Amharic and I'm like, "whuuuuuh?"

And frankly, I'm kind of obsessed with all things mixed race, cross-cultural, and interracial. So I've decided to channel all this obsession into a photography project: portraits of mixed heritage people and of interracial/cross-cultural couples and families.

If you or anyone you know fits the bill, send them my way! Currently I'm working my California contacts but eventually want to find people all over the country. Once I get going I'm going to create a special gallery on my website for the portraits.

Stay tuned!

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