All photos © Jeff Sheng
“For the past year, I have been photographing men and women in the United States military who are closeted and affected by the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy banning gays and lesbians from openly serving in the United States armed forces. In making these portraits, I wanted to create images that gave recognition to these individuals for their service and not ruin their careers by exposing their identity. Most, if not all, of the subjects have done tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.”
Jeff Sheng‘s portraits were included in the PDN Photo Annual 2010 online gallery.
I saw these on the NYTimes site a few months ago – I think they are so moving.
I find these portraits to be extremely powerful on their own, and even more so with the artist statement attached. Wonderful work!
Salute for your wonderful photos in your site