Regina Sharma: A Senior Profile Portrait by Elizabeth Milner (2011)

Regina Sharma doesn't know who she is. She discovers new things about herself every day but she still has a hard time identifying herself. She was dedicated to her church for many years but she slowly gave it up because she felt like she didn't belong. She joined a cult because she heard people were treated like family. She doesn't get along with her family well. Regina was widowed at the young age of twenty, leaving her family unsure of how to deal with the situation. The only thing she is truly attached to is her National Rifle Association membership. That is the one thing she will never give up. Being in the NRA leads to mostly a solitary life, other than monthly meetings she attends religiously. She prefers to be alone with her guns. Regina is only afraid of one thing: finding a group she truly loves, only to be shot down or thrown out. For the photo I put my subject in the corner to diminish her presence and gave the picture a lot of negative space to make her feel lonely. I gave her a gun but made her look to the opposite side of where she was pointing the gun. I did this to make her seem indecisive and unsure of herself. She lacks the confidence that helps to make important decisions like choosing somewhere she feels she belongs completely. Her grip on the gun mimics her grip on the NRA, being the only thing he will never give up. On one side of her life is the church and cult she gave up, but her other side, the side that remains intact, is that of the NRA.