First Kills represents a new tradition that speaks more to the intention to preserve the tradition of hunting than to the tradition itself. Gathered from small town newspaper sports sections, First Kills are enlargements of tiny public announcements of a young child’s first successful hunting trip. The photographs create a repository of staged poses, like prom photos or wedding announcements. This moment of the First Kill enters the family photo album.
Enlarged to nearly life sized, the images examine an intimate moment of eye contact as this intentional tradition is passed down. The enlargement brings with it the texture and printing of the newspaper, acknowledging that the photograph is as much pageantry as it is heritage.