It doesn't matter how you feel about politics, the 2016 presidential election cycle has been shocking, disconcerting, and more than a little nauseating. That also applies to Mark Abramson's photos from the campaign trail.
His series Two Face uses multiple exposures to capture the madness, layering scenes of candidates and crowds at rallies across the country. The ominous, humorous photos perfectly reflects the craziness of a season that can be difficult to describe. "It’s a way to satisfy that need to want to say more in one frame," he says. "For me, applying this technique made me feel like I could actually say what I was feeling, which was this shivery feeling."
The New York photographer was a campaign neophyte when the circus arrived in New Hampshire in January. It was so close that he decided to check it out, and thought shooting multiple exposures might be fun. He loved how it added noise and chaos to the images.
Abramson has attended more than 30 events, from appearances at small-town gun shows to stadium-filling rallies. He's spent countless hours waiting in lines, braving stampeding crowds and even standing up to a Trump security guard who grabbed him by the waist and shoulders. “He said I was posing a threat, but I think it was all the adrenaline in the air,” Abramson says.
His frenetic images convey more than conventional photos ever could. You see a woman sobbing in the front row at a rally, her eyes uplifted to a close up of Clinton giving a speech. You see Trump's accusing finger pointing to Rubio as he descends a staircase. You see a man looking cold and tired in the snow, drowning in a sea of blue Bernie and Hillary yard signs. The project gets right to the heart of the heightened emotions, convoluted stories, and overwhelming voices. The images expose it as the second-rate reality show the presidential campaign has become.
