Rhonda and Chantelle by Graham E. Miller

The series, Suburban Splendour, by contender Graham Miller seeks to capture moments of "quiet desperation." It's a phrase that's tossed around so often in art and literature that it has become hackneyed; only rarely is it executed as well as this. What is so visceral about the work is how real the moments are. The carefully considered lighting and sense of space in the images enforces a kind of isolation that is present throughout the work. Instead of fretting over the conceptual or technical details, the viewer is pulled straight into the narrative of each frame. Who are these "characters," as Miller calls them, and what is it about them that we identify with?

Miller writes:

These characters are troubled, but not irretrievably lost; they carry a dignified endurance and a sense of bruised optimism. These people are survivors. They have a desire, as we all do, to be transported from darkness into light.

To some extent, it's a theme to which we can all relate, and a timeless one too. Miller cites many influences from art and literature such as the films of Paul Thomas Anderson and Ray Lawrence, paintings by Edward Hopper, and the writings of Raymond Carver. Thus it comes as no surprise that the photographs possess the depth of a great story and the cinematic beauty of a film still.

Below is an excerpt of the poem Tomorrow by Raymond Carver, with which the series has been paired.

I remember my mother, God love her,
saying, Don't wish for tomorrow.
You're wishing your life away.
Nevertheless, I wish
for tomorrow. In all its finery.
I want sleep to come and go, smoothly.
Like passing out of the door of one car
into another. And then to wake up!
Find tomorrow in my bedroom.

The resulting images embody the contradictions of our day-to-day lives; they are personal yet universal, composed yet true to life, and simple yet magnetic. The entire Suburban Splendour series, among other work, can be seen at Graham's portfolio.