BEHIND THE LENS

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For me the camera is a tool.  If the tool is a paintbrush, you respond in a certain way; if the tool is a camera you respond in a different way.  But the eye is the maestro conducting the orchestra, and the eye must remain primary.

 

For a long time I fought the technical aspects of photography, preferring to force the camera to act like a paint brush.  Now, I am less in open rebellion, and am happy to let the camera be what it is - a highly technical instrument capable of detailed and precise rendering.

 

I still nudge it a bit - I don't want it to think I serve it - it must bend to me, and if it didn't there would be no way to distinguish my work as a photographer from any other photographer working in a similar vein.

 

Across an array of distinct applications - from commercial to fine art to portraiture - an essential idea is at work: do the visual elements produce a harmonious whole?

 

In the end what matters is being attentive to the unique aesthetic demands of each image, and remaining open to being surprised.