Why do your pictures look like that?
On my main website, there's a page called “Docu What?” for a good reason. I sometimes feel it's hard to explain why I shoot how I shoot.
Let me explain a bit...
My style derived from looking at the photos of the grand masters of photography like Henri Cartier Bresson, Robert Frank, Dorothy Lange, Vivian Meier, Alex Webb, Steve McCurry.
I would love to show you their work but that would be violating their copyrights… sooo ain’t gonna do it. :)
I just saw so much meaning, emotion and humanity in those photos… I was moved by them and wanted to know the story of the people in the pictures. That's how I learned to love and understand documentary photography and photojournalism above all other branches of this amazing art form. The storytelling spellbound me to the subjects of the photos when they are portrayed in their natural environments. That's why I wanted to work within that space and find a way to own my personal sensibilities and my subjects of interests as well as emulate and find my own self within the work of these legends. I have always looked at them as knights in search of bigger meaning. I know, very corny.
That's what came of it. I guess it’s working because I have been lauded for creating work for my clients full of humanity, emotions and drama. Take a look at this award winning album of my daughter when you get the chance.
As you may know by now if you've looked at my website, I came to photography taking photos of my kids... because that's what I knew. These were and remain my favorite subjects… my dog too now. They were the subjects I loved.
Today I apply the same fundamentals to my clients the way I did when it was just a hobby. I try hard to see the people in the picture; to find their humanity because I want to connect to them and foster my own growth out of meeting them and taking their picture when they invite me to do so.
Whether I shoot drag shows, corporate events or weddings, I am looking for the honest real moments of emotions that make me vibrate and connect me as a human being. That’s what males me do good work. The following 2 pictures have won me recognition from my peers at PPSDC and I am very thankful for that.
It's always a bit hard at the beginning because I have to break my own protective shell of self. It's kind of a "break in case of emergency" thing but it's something I do almost every day. But it's good to have one. Without it I would not be able to become vulnerable to my immediate environment. I learned a long time ago that being slightly uncomfortable is a good thing. It allows me to be more aware and more receptive of my surroundings and sometimes I think that's why I put my camera between my environment and myself. It allows me to focus my vulnerability in a very specific direction and to transform it into art.
But it's hard though to be vulnerable sometimes. My entire business relies on the fact that I open myself to others, to create art that is meaningful to them and to myself but also that I am open to their critique of my work. And, that's not always easy to decipher where the good critiques and the bad ones are.
In conclusion, click on. Steady wins the race...