Mormons

I recently was on assignment for Time shooting a story on Mormons in Alameda, California. The story grew out of the recent battle over Prop 8 and how the Mormon Church was instrumental in it being passed. The story focused in particular on a Mormon ward in the Bay Area that had struggled somewhat over supporting prop 8 - though in the end they eventually did. Ironically the editors at Time choose a gay photographer to shoot this story. I had some initial apprehension about photographing a subject where I regarded the particular religious group involved with some genuine anger. I thought that apprehension through and came to the conclusion that the reader/viewer should make their own judgments and that I should treat this subject as I would any other assignment or personal project. I believe the photographs I made attest to that. I did find myself engaged in a sit down at the kitchen table conversation with the main protagonist of the story about gay marriage. He had asked if I was following prop 8 out in NY and I had replied I certainly was as I was gay and that my assistant Seth was also my partner of 10 years. Needless to say no minds were changed but I do think the conversation served some value. For me it pretty much boils down them to not wanting gays in their club and a fear of the government taking away their tax exempt status for not doing so... See the story here.