Photography is Art
From its inception, art has been a translation of a vision through a medium to an audience. Yet so many refuse to accept photography as one such medium, recognizing it only for its commercial applications. “Point and Shoot - take the picture, anyone can do it”. Well, consider this:
Paint can color and protect the outside of your home or render an artist’s dream.
Wood and ceramic can build cabinets and floors, as well as magnificent sculptures.
Through a chosen medium, a visual artist’s responsibility is to go beyond a skillful use of the craft and give the viewer something mental to carry with them, a place to revisit always.
Photography is art, and with it I have three objectives:
To Observe - Nature seems to constantly repeat itself, yet she wears many disguises. Under differing light, shapes re-emerge as something new, as if re-carved by nature to entertain us. Light is the glue that binds an image; the solution to its riddle.
To Live the Moment - Being in the moment allows me to capture this phenomenon. Years ago, I would start with a hard and fast concept, then shoot and re-shoot until I got it just right. There is a time and place for this strict approach but by following it, my images lacked personality - the personality which only the model or environment could instinctively provide.
To Capture - To capture an image while in the moment is both elusive and non recreatable and when it happens, it’s magic! I wait for the elements of light, time, and personality to unite and when it happens, I must capture it.
The day I stopped chasing great photographs and started chasing the light, I understood that photography is art. |
