Identical Twins (Fullerton Avenue Elevated Platform, Chicago), October 2017

I made the source photograph for this image while riding the Chicago Transit Authority's red line commuter train. As we rolled into the platform at Fullerton Avenue, I quickly made a few photographs, through the window, of the people waiting outside for the train doors to open.

The original image was simple to create, using a typical DSLR ("dx" format) and a 50mm lens. This 'source' image was duplicated four times, and then digitally manipulated in Photoshop, resulting in this final image.

Despite the mundane nature of the everyday moment which was initially recorded, this image illustrates the hazards of depending upon photography as a medium conveying empirical truth.

My original photograph of a De Paul University student waiting for a subway train has morphed into an image of a pair of identical twins who serve as gatekeepers of a private garden. The viewer can examine their features and sense that the twins have contrasting personalities.