Thomas Polcaster Thinks Taking Photos Can Be Really Embarrassing—But He’s Never Regretted Doing So

AGE: 25
BASED IN: New York
NOMINATED BY: Jack Pierson

I take pictures in order to connect with the world. Photography helps me think about the conditions through which I see. The ideal situation is that I feel sensitive to the world and deeply interested in my surroundings, and I have the courage to photograph whatever is in front of me. This is not always the case.

So much of my practice is about overcoming fear. There’s that age-old voice that says, Well, it’s not going to be perfect, so might as well not do it. Taking pictures can be really embarrassing. But I’ve never regretted taking a photograph. I just pretend I am someone who is not afraid. Sometimes I build parameters to work within, but mostly I prefer to move through the world and leave it up to something that is beyond words.

Language falls short of describing the depths of living, so I have to ask through pictures: How connected can we feel to each other? How thoroughly can we enjoy life? How expansive can my inner world become? How can we have a new experience of seeing? What might bring about the greatest sense of hopefulness? Surely we need that now.