Sara Turner

Sara Turner, from Marietta, Georgia, is a Fine Art Studio Concentration student who specializes in photography. Her style is consistently high contrast and sharp images with a clear subject matter. In her pursuit of a career in sports photography she worked for Georgia Swarm's Professional Men's Lacrosse team in Gwinnett, Georgia during their 2019 season and as Georgia College & State University's Athletic Photographer from 2017-2020.

Artist Statement

Vulnerability

The intention of my work is to present a private scene where the subject communicates their complex emotions as they stare back at the viewer. The three photographs placed on top of each viewing box are cues as to which emotions are portrayed in the portrait inside the box. The conglomeration of represented emotions is triggered by their individual stories so that through these pieces their vulnerable narratives are shared. My desire is for the viewer to see vulnerability as a powerful tool that connects people and helps us realize that we are not alone in our feelings of loss, resentment, confusion, insecurity, sorrow, and more.

Both narratives were discovered during photoshoots where I asked Terrence and Meagan to tell me a story. It could be about anything, but it had to be vulnerable; something they do not often share or maybe had never shared before. As they told me their stories, I photographed their facial expressions as memories surfaced. Their reflection on the past that influences their present required recognition and confrontation. Now I am calling every viewer to have compassion regardless of understanding, hoping that in sympathizing with these bold narratives you find emotional commonalities in your own story.

I am challenging people to pay attention to those around them and pick up on social cues that suggest someone is in a fragile state. I am inviting people into freedom from shame through sharing. And I am encouraging closer, deeper relationships with those around us whom we trust.

Project Description

My work is a display of how vulnerability can be liberating and encouraging because I have experienced its freedom myself. Too often I let pride and shame rule my life, but vulnerability slices through their smoke to reveal the authentic beings of reality and truth. Vulnerability has the power to connect people and fights against the idea that we are all alone in our battles with pain.