Kelsy Gossett‘s Wake Up series documents a tepid space between living and sleep, punctuated by the confused, scared or vulnerable emotions of the people she is photographing. Kelsy photographs couples, individuals, and friends in their safest space of recuperation: their bed. The bedroom is political;, it is where the individual crafts their identity, cultivates a living space and plasters their personality. In Wake Up, Kelsy seeks to touch on these elements, but more importantly, capture the moment of intimacy that occurs between people after waking. The moment after waking could be dictated as the one where we, as a subject, are perhaps most vulnerable. Our emotions are often unsettled and somewhat altered by the dream lands we may have just been visiting.

The photographer states that “The time between the body awakening and the consciousness fully waking is short and fleeting. I believe in this brief amount of time, there is a special bond that occurs between people. It is one of trust, vulnerability and honesty.” In addition, we are captured outside of any context where we may have been able to beautify ourselves.

Gossett annotates the power of a freshly taken photo after waking as “Inhabiting this intimate space with people allows me to document them just as they are, with guards down and insecurities at bay.” The subjects look neither excited nor visibly annoyed to be photographed in this state, although there is a clear distinction of fragility and awkwardness that inhabits the photos, making them seem amusing, but powerful and frank, in their simplicity.

All images © Kelsy Gossett