Well, I’ve been looking forward to this. So, let me begin at the end.

I’m leaving Hunter’s family home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. I recall Hunter telling me I’d recognize the building prior to my arrival as being the shooting location for “Only Murders in the Building” but what Hunter hasn’t considered is my acute ignorance of pop-culture. But there it is. This majestic monolithic Manhattan monument rising above me as I try to wrap my head around what I’ve just experienced.

Hunter’s home is beautiful. It’s massive, sparsely decorated, with soaring 4-meter ceilings, sprawling rooms, ensuite bathrooms (plural), I’m in awe. But mostly I’m in awe of Hunter, who even standing next to the ten-foot-tall “Camilla” made of Murano glass, steals all the attention. I mean, what would one expect from the only photographer who was photographed more in their outfit at the 2021 Met Gala than the guests they were there to photograph.

I’ve known Hunter since at least 2015 (I had to fact-check this with them as my memory for these details is less than perfect.) I find it interesting to watch a person evolve from a complete stranger to me, to an acquaintance, and to a friend. However sometimes during this evolution I miss out on the fact that these same people are also evolving into incredible individuals in their own realm. I assume this comes from some sort of subconscious personal insecurity where I question why anyone who would be so cool would also want to take a part-time job as my friend. Whatever!

When I was drafting an early list of people to photograph for Context, Hunter’s name popped into my head, and I immediately became very excited not only for this specific story, but also how they reminded me of how varied and interesting my network of friends and acquaintances is.

I ask Hunter if they can bring out the Willie Norris dress that they wore to the 2021 Met Gala where they outshined the stars. Hunter brings out the dress and a comical attempt to re-don the garment ensues. The complexity of the construction is mindboggling and the two of us use photos of Hunter wearing the dress on the red carpet as a Rosetta Stone to unlock the code required to wear it again. We did it(!) and I ask Hunter to stand next to Camilla for a family photo.

By the time we’ve finished in the living room, I naively assume that we’ve reached the zenith of this meeting. Wrong. Hunter slips into a sheer dress and we move into the bathroom. I ask them to the tub and… well let me just say I’ve photographed a lot of amazing things over the past 17 years…it takes a lot to get me excited about taking photos most of the time. But this did it. This bathroom and human reignited the flame.

Hunter has been working out, and their body has changed dramatically in recent history. As Hunter gets stronger, they experience the interesting conundrum of having “a more masculine body and trying to find the same gender euphoria” when they were “softer and more feminine.” I find this thought to be so intriguing and moreover an equation that I’ve never had to compute before in my life.

We finish up and I head off to wherever the hell I need to be next, and as I put my shoes on, I say “Thanks, dude” to Hunter and immediately catch myself. I’ve known Hunter for ages, and my habit as a West-Coaster is to use “dude” colloquially with just about everyone. I apologize for my slip as I am aware that Hunter uses the pronouns “They/Them” and am met with the reply “That’s ok, any pronouns with respect” which I find quite comforting and accepting of a response.

At the time of publishing this, Hunter will probably be one of the only people I know who has not seen these photos. I showed them to everyone in excitement but made Hunter wait. Here you go, Hunter.