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SoFoBoMo 2016 – The Artist Statement

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, then starting on the first one.”

— often attributed to Mark Twain in error

Working my book like all my life.  I tend to grab something that makes a big dent first, then knock things off one small item at a time.  It is the method I’ve developed for accomplishing a lot in a short period of time.

triangles-19


Artist Statement

I chose triangles as a unifying theme for my book.  It is a subject from Freeman Patterson’s book “Photography and the Art of Seeing.”  We find triangles everywhere and they are an important element of composition.  From a psychological perspective, we ascribe male or masculine attributes to triangles.  I favor abstract representations in my photography.  For this book I chose to include a wider variety of techniques.  I have included landscapes, nature and architecture as well as abstracts.

I create my photographs with a range of digital cameras from Canon and Sony.  I photographed all my subjects with a Sony NEX-6 compact, mirrorless camera.  To process the photos, I used Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop and Nik filters.  Viveza and Color Efex Pro are the filters I used most.  When processing images I go for the feeling I recall when looking at the subject.  This process leads to variations in the adjustments that may be unacceptable to some.

Photography reduces the stress I feel in my life.  It is one of the few pursuits in my life that has no purpose other than my pure enjoyment.  It gives me an outlet for emotions long divorced from conscious self.  For that reason I strive to present that emotion in my images.


I ended up being happy with twenty-three of the images I took on Sunday, but narrowed that down to eighteen.  So in two days, I’m almost halfway to done.  I doubt that I will use all eighteen, but I would not feel bad if I did.