19th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Altered Images
"Cain, Abel." (2021)

I took it upon myself to create a portrait of two characters who have a deep emotional connection to me. It shows Cain staring piercingly into the audience as Abel gives him side eye. In my mind, this is like moments before disaster, but also speaks to the emotion of a moment that you experience in hindsight. You know their fates and where the story ends for them, but for now it's just a moment. Something to point out in this image is how their eye-lines interact with each other. One is seemingly aware of us, while the other isn't. It is from an ongoing series of old characters I'm photographing called "Ingenia Ex Antiquis".

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 04.2021
Date Uploaded: 11.2021
Photo Location: Huntsville, Alabama, United States of America
Copyright: © JUSTIN LAWSON