Love Triangle in the Isadora Kosofsky project

20 years oldIsadora Kosofsky,
Documentary photographer based in Los Angeles. In 2012 was honored by Magnum Photography Agency with the Inge Morath Award. Gets inspired by works of Frederick Wiseman, Su Frederich and Italian Neorealists.

After my grandmother passed away when I was 13, I asked my family for a camera. I found solace in photography as a way to alleviate loneliness. Photography doesn’t just allow me to feel less lonely, but my subjects also feel less alone through our relationship and the creative process. I was working on a multi-series documentary about the lives and relationships of the elderly in retirement homes, when one night I first encountered Jeanie, Will and Adina. As I watched Will and Adina drop Jeanie off at the gate, I related to her separation from them. I observed Jeanie, Will and Adina for a few weeks and then asked if I could spend time with them.

At that point, Jeanie, Will and Adina all lived in separate, but neighboring, facilities, as they do now. They would meet daily and, while most of their activities were outside, they did visit each other’s living quarters. Each would return home at night. Once they attempted to move in together outside of the senior community, but this didn’t work, and they returned to their separate facilities.

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I am drawn to people who are in emotional conflict with themselves or those around them. The emotions in the story deliver the visual interpretation of that subject; all my images are spontaneous, and the composition and makeup of an image reflects the emotion of that specific moment. I befriended Jeanie, Will and Adina and knew that I wanted to share their powerful story. I choose stories that I empathize with. It remains a mystery why certain people become the subjects of my work, even for me.

I can’t can’t speak of how the American public perceives of Jeanie, Will and Adina’s bond. While following my subjects, I made an observation that they remained unnoticed in the streets. American society has a tendency to exclude and ignore aging citizens. I do know, that within their retirement communities, most were unaccepting of their relationship. Jeanie, Will and Adina’s relationship challenges sociocultural views of the elderly.

Many have experienced the conflicts involved in loving two different people. But, I also believe that love is not the opposite of loneliness. As shown in the photo essay, one can feel rejected and abandoned even when in a relationship.

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I do not believe there is a dominant concept to a documentary project. A documentary highlights a life or lives and is therefore multi-layered. The struggle between love and loss is one of the themes of the photo essay and a major part of my long-term work. The project develops and evolves over time based on my immersion in the subjects’ lives. Forming close bonds with the subjects is a specialized aesthetic that allows the subject to feel comfortable, but vulnerable in front of the camera. In turn, over time, the photographer becomes equally vulnerable.

Storytelling is an integral part of photography, as it is a way for an audience to relate to a subject. Storytelling makes an individual’s life identifiable to people of all backgrounds.

I don’t necessarily seek out a particular kind of person but usually establish a project based upon on my connection with an individual. Documentary allows me to immerse myself into others’ lives. Initially, documentary was a means of escape. Only later did I realize, that through the photographs, I confronted the same emotions that I tried to escape. I love realism and feel that the most intimate stories are conveyed through real lives.

My newest project, dedicated to the life and incarceration of two young brothers Vinny and David, was published in Lightbox — a photography blog by the Time magazine. At this time, I am also working on a photo essay encompassing the theme of irresistibility for the 2014 Joop Swart Masterclass organized by World Press Photo.