Photography Description

I am primarily a digital photographer, although I have a variety of cameras to use depending on the situation and reason for the photograph. My camera collection includes a Canon 5D, Canon 10D, Canon EOS 620, Minolta DiMage S404, and a Holga 120. I am also a Photoshop CS2 user. My work can easily be categorized in two styles, documentary portraiture and fine art photography.

When taking documentary portraits I try to capture the spirit of my models, to freeze a moment in time that will speak volumes for years to come. I do not enjoy shooting typical posed portraits; I want to take photographs of people living their lives as if I weren’t in the room. To me the best photographs are those where you, the viewer, feel like you happened upon the scene and were compelled to take a peek. To create that moment I do not use a studio or studio lighting but instead work in the model’s own home or a location that has some personal meaning for the model. Sometimes I shoot nearly one-hundred frames to get just the one that conveys the personality of the model or models. I print in black and white because I like the timeless mood it produces, and I find that color distracts from the true purpose of the portrait, to tell you who that person really is.

Fine Art Photography

I dabble in several methods of fine art photography, including multiple exposures, digital pinhole photography, night photography and what I call Accidental Photography. Samples of this body of works are displayed here for your enjoyment. I call it Accidental Photography because each shot is the result of pure chance as I walk around snapping the shutter without holding the camera to my eye. Whether in my down-held hand, hung around my neck or upside down on a monopod, my camera is pointed at random. I have no idea about composition, exposure or focus until after the day is done.

Accidental Photography eliminates the unsuspecting models’ temptation to freeze, pose or turn away. Each image is a real example of human behavior in public. We see who chats, who speaks to no one, who looks at another with envy, lust or distain, and occasionally, who’s watching you.

To create these photographs I used a digital camera with various wide angle lenses. Then, using Photoshop, each image is cropped for maximum artistic impact, exposure corrected to bring out detail in shadows, and color adjusted to achieve a final image reminiscent of Fugifilm’s Velvia look. All other aspects of the photographs are “as shot.”