Artist’s Statement
I have always been fascinated by the perception of the world through the viewfinder and have been taking pictures since I was twelve. Photography gives me a chance to play with light and to select a moment in time to create a unique image. Henri-Cartier Bresson called it ‘The Decisive Moment’.
Photography is also a pursuit that involves what I call a 360-degree view of the world. From the hard sciences; physics, optics, and chemistry to psychology, physiology, and philosophy. I feel that the more facets of life that you understand the better that your art will be.
While studying for a degree in Computer Science I expanded my passion for photography into becoming photography editor and then editor‐in‐chief for my college yearbook. As President of the Camera Club, I built and maintained my first darkroom and organized an annual photographic exhibit of the work of our club members. I was also fortunate to have been asked to present my own one‐man show. After college, I continued to take photographs and build and work in my darkrooms, but as life inevitably intervened I had less and less time to do the kind of photography that I knew I could create.
With the advent of digital SLR cameras, the possibility of returning to serious photography became a reality. I find that the digital darkroom is an easier place to produce high-quality images than is the traditional darkroom. I am sure that the debate on digital vs. film will continue for a long time to come. However, I believe that the tools available in the digital realm enhance the creative process allowing me to better focus on the images that I wish to capture. It is also interesting that my vocation and avocation have merged, but that should not be too surprising since they have always combined elements of each other.
I decided that if I was going to return to serious photography I wanted to share my images with a wider audience than simply family and friends. The thought of creating images and putting them in a drawer felt too limiting.
I am a Past-President of the York Art Association and a member of the New Hampshire Art Association as well as the Kittery Art Association.