Like anyone confronting adolescent angst and awkwardness, Matt DeFeo wanted to be himself, even if friends and neighbors weren’t quite sure what to make of him. He yearned to be where he didn’t have to care about what others thought about him: Sweaty clubs featuring longhaired metalcore musicians with tattoos, piercings and no-nonsense glares proved to be just the ticket.

Where sober-minded grown-ups might have felt threatened, he found his identity, listening to bands like the Devil Wears Prada or Underoath. Now, 15 years later, he has returned to those venues and others to do large format wet-process portraits of these musicians, who eagerly sat for the one-time fanboy.

“I wanted to break down the stereotypes of this group of people,” said Mr. DeFeo, 26. “Using large format cameras, I have to be very focused and need to know exactly what I want and how I want to portray them. People see the hard-core community as a bunch of angry, misunderstood kids. That’s how a lot of people perceived me growing up. I wanted to convey something totally different where you have vulnerability and stillness with each portrait.”