(easygoing music) - The San Diego region is home to many artists who work in an assortment of media.

As a curator and educator, I want to know what inspires these creatives.

(easygoing music continues) This is "Insights Into Art."

(easygoing music continues) (breezy music) - I've changed- - The terms?

- Yeah, just like, who are you photographing?

Or, what are you photographing?

- Today, I'm tagging along with portrait photographer Christopher Ferreria.

He photographs people in their personal spaces to reveal in part who they are.

- Grab the camera, the computer for editing, and the tripod.

(breezy music continues) All right.

(door slamming) Let's go up to see them.

(doorbell chiming) - Hey, Chris.

- Hey, Con.

- Come on in.

How's it going?

- [Alessandra] For Christopher and the people he photographs, it begins with friendship.

Everyone in his series of photographs is a friend, and the images he creates are an expression of that relationship.

- I feel inspired by that.

(laughs) Looking at Northern European painting, and I wanted to mimic sort of the excruciating detail, the lengths they did.

So, they were looking at the home space as a primary subject, and then translating that into photography, and then looking at a very particular community in that regard.

- [Alessandra] Married couple Mark and Constantine have been the subject of several of Christopher's portraits, but Mark in particular loves the camera.

He was an extra in the movie "Hook" and a contestant on the game show "The Price is Right."

- But turn... Yeah, there you go.

Perfect.

(breezy music continues) And then, maybe take one hand out.

(breezy music continues) We will have a kind of conversation of how they want to be within the space.

Sometimes, I'll photograph them in a space that they prefer, and then I'll photograph them in a space that I would prefer.

And then, together, we will look at which best represents who they are in that sense.

So, there is some kind of artistic directive on my part, and then hopefully I can honor who the subject is from how they want to be seen as well.

And that's really what the series is about, is how does the person carry themselves and physically relay or convey who they are through their body?

And then how does that body interact with the space that they've created for themselves?

So, the staging of the identity through the home and then also through the body, and the conversation that's created by having those two things visualized together in a portrait.

- [Alessandra] Seeing how Christopher interacts with Mark and Constantine, I can see how people welcome him into their personal space.

- All right, one, two, and three.

- Is that relationship being in a way mediated through the camera and the photograph?

But it seems that, also, you have a relationship outside of that, so it's interesting.

I wonder about that.

- Yeah, I think the way that I like to go about the project is that this comes later.

Like, the relationship is established first.

Like, I want to connect to the person.

And essentially, it was about building community.

Who am I within this community?

And until we have a real friendship, do I even approach the idea of would you be interested in being photographed?

And so, there's that trust, inherent trust that's built in so that this doesn't create any walls or doesn't freeze them up or it creates distance.

This is almost an afterthought in part because my intention has always been to make friends, to create community, and then to use this as a way to honor that and create a record of that as a byproduct of that relationship.

There have been times... Actually, there are a lot of people who I did approach that didn't want to be photographed, and I respected that in a bit, a little bit where I would, every so often, every year, like, "Hey," you know, "would you like to be photographed?

Or, "Would you mind if I photographed you?"

You would ask again.

- Yeah, it's like, "Let's see if the goalpost has moved a bit - Has moved.

- or if it's still the same."

(breezy music continues) - [Alessandra] Christopher sees his work as documenting his community and collaborates with the people that he photographs to create meaningful images.

(breezy music continues) - Being mindful of how you present yourself is something I always consider.

And so, when I do encounter someone, for any reason, it could be very personal, it could be cultural, it could be professional.

I know I've approached people where they're not completely out to their family or because of the community of which they're a part of, it would be harmful.

And this part of their life that I have access to is something that they escape to as opposed to live freely, or they feel like they're able to live freely.

So, protecting them by not photographing them is a part of that friendship, and I respect that a lot.

- I think that comes through in the images, that you see the people that you are photographing.

In their eyes, in their gestures, you see that they are wanting to make that connection with you.

- Yeah, and I want these photographs to be a commemoration of a friendship, even though I'm not pictured in them.

They did allow me to be in their personal space, sometimes their bedroom, sometimes an area of the house that they closely identify.

It's an escape, it's a haven, and that's always a privilege.

And I want to ensure that my entering into that space is as respectful as possible, but the photograph itself becomes a means by which I can share with them how I like to see them, how I want to see them, as much as how they want to be seen by the world once that photograph enters into the public space.

(breezy music continues) - [Alessandra] His portraits are a conversation, an exchange of ideas mixed with fun and laughter.

(friends murmuring) This has been a revelation to see him at work and I appreciate his gentle creativity while crafting these poignant images.

Thank you to Christopher, Mark, and Constantine for allowing me to tag along.

(breezy music continues)