Sony RX1, 35mm f2 Carl Zeiss
ISO80, f/18, 1/125, raw
200W strobe on boom, over subject’s head, 60×60 soft-box
Am I the remainder of this hypothetical subtraction? Because there is no real absence in an empty suit, the seriousness and credibility it provides to whoever (and whatever) wears it is immanent. So take me with the suit, then take the suit, subtract the two, and what remains must be me.
I have been “against” suits throughout my whole student life. I had first to wear them at 18th birthday parties, which are quite a big thing here in Italy. Then came the graduations. And finally the weddings.
I remember that every time I wore a suit I would not recognize myself in the mirror. And not in the good way. I hated all the overwhelming features that the suit added to myself. I felt that by wearing one I wasn’t much else than just a guy in a suit.
Then the job(s) came and I suddenly needed those features. I had to be a guy in a suit, a white collar, that’s what people were expecting from me, and by granting it my job was much easier.
After years of suit-wearing, I’m now used to seeing myself in one. So the question is, now that I resigned from the old world, does the suit suit me anymore? Am I wearing it because of what it adds, or because of what it shows? And once I’m taken out of the equation, what is the remainder? Does it account for my whole self, or is there something personal I’m leaving with that suit?