Blending elements of lifestyle portraiture and contemporary street photography, I use a camera to engage people and create wonder about who they are. Inspired by what I don’t fully understand, I believe my work encourages an enhanced awareness and broader sense of human interest about contemporary sociocultural themes exposed in candid portraits of people. My images assume cinematic qualities associated with album cover art, and often reflect a personal impression or powerful combinations of action and emotion.
My work frequently highlights diverse subcultures exhibiting unique characteristics or cultural norms. Sometimes my photos show uncomfortably close portraits of strangers or “social outsiders” revealing their talents and personal triumphs. Universally, these unflinching portraits imply a slightly mysterious narrative of achievement, and provide insight into people who exist both before and after the photograph was made. For me, the photos are a contextual reminder of what is real now.
My portraits are intentionally shot in public where the environment and subject are both dynamic. Theses blended challenges make open air photography an exciting way to transform everyday people, doing artistic things, into community models.
To create emotionally intimate pictures, I look for situations where people have let their guard down because they are distracted, exposed, or in a state of transition. The goal is to artistically capture "that honest moment" between the subject and photographer, and illuminate subtle, yet important, relationships between people. People are art.
My creative philosophy is to limit the use of equipment and technology in the field so that I do not influence the environment. Using only a simple camera, it’s my job to balance scale, light, and luck. The best photographs creatively compose compelling subjects while demonstrating excellence in trade craft. I believe that the right photograph can have lifetimes of impact.
