Our faces best distinguish us. The specific patterning of facial features-eyes, nose, bone structure, cheeks and mouth-are used to identify and classify individuals. The face can even reveal a person’s social status. Society often uses things such as race, age and gender revealed in the human face to reveal social information and delineate rank. As a society we frequently forget that we are looking at and judging a fellow human being.

This is a photographic study of the human face and the emotions it can evoke. These portraits depict twenty different people who share the common thread of being a Christian clergy member. Society, in general, has mixed feelings in regard to religious leaders. The construction and framing of each image force the viewer to focus on the person as an individual rather than on their position in society. Posing took a backseat and each subject was asked to look directly into the camera lens. This allowed their facial features and emotions to come to the forefront in each photograph, creating an intimate interaction with the viewer.