“Necessary” is a gallery featuring the backstage performer portraits from Notes on Masculinity: A Drag King Centered Cabaret, produced by Switch the Boi Wonder and Po’ Chop.

Notes on Masculinity is a bi-monthly show at the California Clipper in Chicago and features drag, burlesque, cabaret, spoken word, live music, and more. Shows are typically on the first or second Tuesday of the month.

This is an ongoing project intending to create high end retouched portraits for the Notes on Masculinity performers (and crew). Captured quickly backstage prior to their performances, the portraits highlight whatever expression they are about to bring to the stage. The portraits are captured using one small flash, so the additional lighting you see in these images are added during post processing.