Photos from Charlie Kirk's Turning Point Inauguration Ball for the New York Times Magazine
Right before the inauguration, I traveled to West Palm Beach and Washington, DC, for a NYTMag feature on Charlie Kirk.
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Right before the inauguration, I traveled to West Palm Beach and Washington, DC, for a NYTMag feature on Charlie Kirk. I haven’t heard much about Charlie up until this assignment, and since I prefer to not read a draft of the story in advance, I went into the shoot with only a basic understanding of who he is and what he does. It’s important for me to meet every one of my subjects at ground level, reacting to their manner and mannerisms rather than preconceived notions. In our schizophrenically divided society of political ideologies, this is often a difficult task, made even harder by the fact that it would draw public ire. Many prefer that those who voted for the “other” candidate be visually eviscerated by the photographer, lest that photographer be accused of being a sympathizer and an apologist.
I will write more about the portrait shoot in a future newsletter.
How Charlie Kirk Became the Youth Whisperer of the American Right - Story by Robert Draper.
While in DC, I had access to Charlie Kirk’s inaugural Turning Point Ball, a black-tie gala at which the impossibly crammed 1,500 attendees shelled out $5,000 to $15,000 for the honor of being in the same ballroom as the cream of the crop of Republican royalty — JD Vance, Don Jr., Ben Shapiro, and Megan Kelly. Balls are my playground, and I was eagerly anticipating it while going over the visual approach on repeat. For all social events, I use my off-camera flash to emphasize the spectacle and infuse it with social mythologies by isolating individuals and interactions. Republican events with their conspicuous amount of blinged-out Trump paraphernalia give abundant material to play with. To avoid sliding into the predictable grotesque, I tried to keep the swag on the periphery rather than focus on it as the main subject.
My photos are never intentionally flattering and often critical, no matter if it’s Debutante Ball, a Democrat fundraiser, or Turning Point inaugural ball, but I try to not expose anyone with photographic tricks that can make people look ugly, like the unforgiving under-chin flash (which I am guilty of doing in the past). The balance of translating the absurdity of such social theater without veering too much into the grotesque and making the people look like ghouls for the sake of an ideological narrative is a tricky one.
How Charlie Kirk Became the Youth Whisperer of the American Right - Don’t miss this fascinating story by Robert Draper.
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Some of these images reminded me of Weegee’s “Their First Murder” one of my favorite photographs
I have grown to really love your photography and your approach to your work. I’m trying to cull some of my Substacks because I want to limit my time on social media but I’m definitely hanging around for your blog. I’m Australian and you educate me about American issues in a comparatively unbiased way. I really appreciate that. All the best.