At the beginning of June I was assigned to photograph YouTube sensation and US Army specialist Codey Wilson in Lynchburg, Virginia for New York Magazine. While deployed in Iraq, Codey directed a video poking fun at the plan to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell”, set to the Ke$ha song “Blah blah blah”, starring fellow soldiers. He was a lot of fun to shoot, though he is one of the few people I’ve photographed that has the desire to be famous. (As he put it, “I want it all.”) This certainly influenced the dynamic of the images and I felt like it became a study of the way he projected his masculinity, though I still tried to see through the cracks a little bit to access the insecurities that come with being 22 years old. It was a long day with 8 hours of driving plus the shoot time, but we had a blast, starting at the National Guard armory in Lynchburg and then to Codey’s grandparent’s place, where he lives when he is not deployed. 

Check out the awesome article, “The Ke$ha-Loving, Command-Defying Army Auteur” written by Lisa Taddeo on the New York Magazine website. It was a pleasure working with her and while on the shoot she lightened the mood immensely at one point by running straight through the screen door in Codey’s grandparent’s house. I know she felt like we were laughing at her, but Lisa, if you ever read this, know that we were laughing with you.  

At the beginning of June I was assigned to photograph YouTube sensation and US Army specialist Codey Wilson in Lynchburg, Virginia for New York Magazine. While deployed in Iraq, Codey directed a video poking fun at the plan to repeal "don't ask, don't tell", set to the Ke$ha song "Blah blah blah", starring fellow ...