About Roxy

At first this series was inspired by the tourists of San Francisco. They are always clumped up on the sidewalk looking at something. And I often find myself looking also trying to figure out what was so interesting to them. For me it’s just Union Square, or Grace Cathedral, etc. But to them, it is new and impressive.

The first iteration of the concept was to have a model standing amongst the tourists and I would do my best get her to stand out with her wardrobe while trying to blend in. That was close but it wasn’t right. It needed more. It was missing a story. The images needed narrative. I had made a joke a few days before that that model looked like a private eye during our last shoot. I began making up the details of her as a private eye and the world she lives in. I wanted her world to be something a little different but familiar. A sense of nostalgia. To feel like a crime drama from the 1990’s. That was the concept I constructed her world from.

I envisioned that each image is representative of an episode of a crime drama she is the star of. I researched common tropes and story arcs for seasons of episodic crime dramas from the 90’s to help the storyline development across the seasons. I watched several seasons of various crime dramas, and I noticed that a 60-minute episode was broken up into roughly four pieces broken up but 3 commercial breaks. Before the first break the new crime is introduced, and the aspect of the story arc is established. After the break the main characters begin the investigation. That is what these images are of. The camera fades in from commercial to Roxy’s back as she is about to begin her investigation.

For the episode descriptions, I wanted them to feel like you are reading the description in a TV Guide. Each episode takes for granted that you are watching every week, often referring to the major plot device used, and hinting at what this week’s episode will bring.

I intend for the viewer to be intrigued by the bit of story they are fed and the image that goes with it. I want the viewer to make up the rest of the story in their head. To wonder what is going to happen next. To feel the excitement that Roxy must feel. To step forward into her boots. To look out into The City and have an adventure.

While this series is set-in modern-day San Francisco; the slight desaturation high contrast lends to the feeling of nostalgia and lends to the sense that you are viewing modern day through a 1990’s lens. In general, I use a slightly lower perspective to make the model seem larger and powerful. The views are vast and gives the viewer an almost voyeuristic perspective, only being able to see the model from behind, and prompts the viewer to ask themselves what she is looking at. I keep the model herself in focus and use a slight bokeh in the background to drive the subject forward and give a sense of depth and place. I use found light and look for leading lines and convergences to lead the viewer around the image and create flow. Passive framing keeps the model anchored in the center and provides more information than is necessary, but this also provides small bits of detail for the viewer to enjoy.