Prison Landscapes is a collection of photos looking at inmate portrait photography in America - a rarely seen sub-genre usually reserved for the eyes of the inmates themselves and their close family and friends.
Walls are painted by fellow inmates with all manner of scenes from a sunny park or country house, to fairy tale castle or urban street complete with a big cadillac. The inmates will then have their pictures taken infront of them, for a brief moment escaping to an idealised place beyond the prison walls. These can be on their own, or sometimes with loved ones when the visit.
"Prison Landscapes offers viewers a rare opportunity to see Americas incarcerated population, not through the usual lens of criminality, but through the eyes of inmates loved ones."
- Alyse Emdur
http://www.alyseemdur.com/
Reading into this area more, and there are services on the internet for those who desire more than just a painted background - and specialise in retouching inmate portraiture, comping the subject into an idilic environment of their choosing from their vast archives. For example, friends beyond the wall - http://www.friendsbeyondthewall.com/
A truely insightful body of photography, and fascinating genre of portraiture.
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