Photographer Sage Sohier's beautiful and awkward portraits of same-sex couples in the 1980s

Sage Sohier’s photographs of couples are taken from her book At Home with Themselves: Same-sex Couples in 1980s America. The project began in 1986, when press and public attention was blaming promiscuity as the cause of the Aids epidemic. “The advent of the disease led me to think about the prevalence, variety and longevity of gay and lesbian relationships… My ambition was to make pictures that challenged and moved people,” Sage explains.

The result is a series of beautiful black and white images of couples of varying ages and stages in their relationship. “In the 1980s many same sex relationships were still discreet,” Sage says, but as well as exploring other relationships, the project had personal motivations. “In the late 70s I discovered my father was gay. So the project was also inspired by my lifelong curiosity about him and his lifestyle.” This is reflected in some of the photographs, where it’s not just the interactions between the couples themselves but also other people in their lives, such as parents, children and friends.

“What made this project possible was people being open about their sexuality… It certainly took courage to stand up and be photographed as a gay couple,” the American photographer says. The project started in Provincetown, Massachusetts on a relatively small scale. “I ended up photographing six couples that first week,” Sage explains. “After that I photographed friends and friends of friends, I also placed ads in gay newspapers in Boston and other cities across the country… There was a lot of positive response to the idea.”

There’s a wonderful awkwardness to Sage’s photographs, but it’s because they feel so personal as though we’re intruding in on their time alone, and the narrative between the couples is only slightly uncovered. “I see all my photographs as collaborative… The couples would give me a tour of their apartment and I would ask where they liked to spend time together,” the photographer explains. “Because I spent several hours with the couples, interviewing and photographing them, people usually relaxed and it was easier to catch natural moments.”