Photography project captures closeted soldiers

on Monday,February 08,2010 23:02

In the midst of a heated debate among politicians over the U.S. military''s Don''t Ask, Don''t Tell policy, Los Angeles-based photographer Jeff Sheng has released the first volume of his project of the same name, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The first book in a Sheng''s proposed series features photographs of 17 homosexual men and women from across the country who are currently serving in the armed forces.

Although the servicemen and women are wearing their uniforms in the pictures, their faces and nametags are concealed to protect their identities. For the captions, Sheng asked each of his subjects to pick a name and location that were of personal significance to each of them.

Each shoot took place in a bedroom or hotel room where the subject was serving at the time, according to Sheng''s website.

The photographer chose this location to reflect "the intersections between public and private space, and the government''s policing of our private spaces - the bedroom being the most representative of this," he said.

Sheng plans to release another volume in March and launch an exhibit at the Kaycee Olsen Gallery in Los Angeles in September, according to the Times.