Beth Yarnelle Edwards ' photography offers a rare view of Silicon Valley home life.
Niki (Going Out), 2000
Via: museumca.org
San Francisco Based photographer Beth Yarnelle Edwards spent a decade photographing Silicon Valley families inside their suburban homes. "For many people Silicon Valley is the epitome of the American dream," says Edwards, who lived there for seventeen years. "I was a little restless, but for others, this was their number one choice. I wanted to know what that means."
The photographs are all staged with the help of her subjects, who range from the working class to high tech executives. "They aren't journalism or candids," says Edwards. "I consider them more like genre paintings."
Before each photo shoot, Edwards, who calls herself "a stalker of the real," spends time interviewing her subjects in their home to get a full sense of how they live their lives. "It's a wonderful gig to get to enter people's homes and ask questions and explore, she says. "I am always surprised by their candidness."
Here is a selection from the 22 large scale photographs, republished with permission, from her new exhibit Beth Yarnelle Edwards: Suburban Dreams which just opened at the Oakland Museum of California.
Erin, 1997
Via: museumca.org
Home Theatre II, 2005
Via: museumca.org
