It was my economics professor who said, "Photography is the art of subtraction."
Although I recall little else from his lectures, I have found that life in general, and indeed photography in particular, is much more gratifying up close with less clutter. I found this to be true as a child who was given his first Kodak Brownie at the age of eight and as an adult who is drawn to more intimate settings and simple subjects. I prefer to celebrate the individual elements that I see and the simplicity and beauty of everyday things and happenstance with the least amount of interference. Reflections in water, textures of common objects, or the natural rhythm of a ocean wave. Each offers an opportunity for keen observation where the beauty of their detail is too often overlooked in the bustle of three dimensions. With only the careful manipulation of perspective and time, objects can be arranged in two dimensions not unlike paint on canvas.
After a brief career in a Wall Street cubicle I worked as an apprentice for a prominent commercial photographer, where I refined the technical skills necessary to share these visions with others. However, I found photographing potato chips and toothpaste lacking in artistry or adventure and set out to explore these United States to find something new.
It was not until 25 years later when I won Charlottesville's Art•In•Place photographic competition, and awarded a 24 foot mural installed prominently in the center of the city, that I was finally convinced by strangers and loved ones alike to remove the tie permanently and share these 'observations in time' professionally once again.
