Artist Statement 

        

          My adventure into photography began seven years ago in a small, dinky, high school darkroom. There I saw, firsthand, the magic photography had to offer me. I gazed at the blank piece of paper in front of me and placed it directly into the developer. Finally, in front of my eyes, the picture I had taken with my camera came to life. This event would set me on a hungry course to learn more about this newfound art.  I graduate high school and chose to pursue higher education at Salisbury University majoring in Fine Arts with a focus on photography. Here I would gain invaluable skills that would contribute greatly to my body of work.  

 

          Much of my work reflects the simple, everyday things in life. I love the textures, colors, and shapes the world around me has to offer. I play with focus, leaving parts of my photographs sharp and its counterpart blurred.  Contrast and color play an important part in my work, highlighting details that I find astonishing. It could be as simple as a piece of driftwood with its unique lines carved and weathered by nature itself. It could be a camera, a manmade object, crafted by expert hands with sharp lines and bright reflections. Still lives are the perfect way to communicate the unique quality every object has. Still lives bring focus on an object or objects. Another major component of my work is my chosen mediums. I use several analog techniques including color and black and white film, traditional silver gelatin papers, and alternative process such as wet plate collodion. I feel that these mediums convey a lifelike quality that digital means cannot rival. The shimmer of silver cannot be beat.  

 

          I am inspired by photographers like Edward Weston who took objects, such as a simple pepper, and focused on their unique characteristics. Jan Groover, who did the same with household objects such as utensils. I admire Julia Margaret Cameron who was self- taught in the art of photography and helped change portraiture to what we know today. I aspire to Gregory Crewdson whose attention to detail and extreme planning make beautiful images.