‘It’s the quagmire of teenage existence - vulnerability with confidence’: Denise Marcotte’s best phone picture

Girls Girls Girls, 2018, shot on iPhone 7 Plus. Photograph: Denise Marcotte

In the late 80s and early 90s, Denise Marcotte had a project photographing teens in their bedrooms. Decades later, with a teenage son of her own, the Massachusetts-based photographer decided to revisit the subject. Back then she used a Fujica 6x9 film camera with a tripod; this time she used an iPhone.

“There is nothing that makes a teenager feel more comfortable than an iPhone,” Marcotte says. “So using one brings me a sense of freedom on many levels: technically, artistically and in my connection to my young subjects.”

The girl in this photo is Arianna, a then 17-year-old friend of Marcotte’s son, Taro. “I’m always hoping for a fun, creative room that expresses individuality, and for my subject to allow me to capture their personality,” Marcotte says. “I like to find a bridge between the objects in the room and the teen’s emotions. Here, Arianna is expressing that very quagmire of teenage existence: vulnerability with confidence.”

While fashion has moved on over the last 30 years, there has been surprisingly little change in how teenagers decorate their rooms, Marcotte says. “There are some posters of musicians that are the same. The Beatles have lasting power all right!”

She also notes how special it is to be making images of transgender and gay teens this time, a theme reflected in other photos in the series. “To be photographing teens in a time when they are changing the conversation and acceptance of gender; that’s amazing.”