I believe true art produces an emotion.  For a photograph to be considered art it needs to elicit a viewer reaction which can be either positive or negative.  Anything else is only a snapshot.  I discovered this years ago when I visited an exhibition of photos by Robert Mapplethorpe.    Some of the photos were wonderful while others were shocking.  But they all made me feel something.  That is the mission of my photos – to make the viewer feel.  In TV shows such as American Idol and The Voice the judges all comment when a contestant makes a song their “own.”   That’s how I feel about photography.   What can I do to take a photograph and make it my own - to communicate to the viewer.  That is difference between taking a snapshot and creating a work of art.

 

I make photos that attempt to show the way something really is or how I see it whether it is person, place or thing.  I want to bring out what is beyond what the viewer initially sees.  To show what is behind the subject.  I make photos that call attention to those things that are commonly overlooked.  I look for the unknown within the subject, the stories not obvious to the viewer.  My goal is to go beyond the normal and allow the viewer to get a better understanding of the subject and of me as an artist. 

 

My photography style is wide open.  I look for sharpness and clarity in my photos.  I try not to focus on one type of subject, but rather to find what interests me whether it is an interesting person or inanimate subject matter. My photos may not always be a truly accurate representation of the subject, but rather an accurate representation of what I am communicating. My subjects may not always be pretty but I try to see what makes them special.