This episode of The Monochrome Chronicles takes a retrospective view of my journey through photography, during which I spent nearly 30 years behind the camera. When I started back in 1995, I never would have imagined where the journey would take me. Herein are some of the highlights of what I encountered.
My camera has a mind of its own — and all I have to do is follow. It has lead me to places where I wouldn’t have gone on my own. People are what propelled me forward. I take people as they are.
Also, I have a little inner voice that guides me. Sometimes it is a fickle master, but I just let go of any hesitation I might have. Trust the process.
I seem to be drawn to scenes of introspection.
I got my baptism into street photography in NYC while I was studying at ICP. The city offered so many venues for street photography. As I ventured further away, the spirit of street photography stayed with me, even when I strayed off the city streets.
Street theater abounds on subways and trains. Passengers seem to surround themselves with an individual invisible shield. Sometimes my camera can penetrate the shield.
Photography of the male nude has been a welcome diverison. The aesthetics of the human form, in an almost abstract sense, offered me a new field for expression.
For me, photography is a means of exploration. Expect the unexpected. Allow serendipity.
The activities of daily life are fodder for my camera. People being themselves.
Slowly, gently, just by sitting and watching sometimes I can capture a mood, an ethereal sense of being. Almost removed from time.
Photography is the language of light and I had to learn to read the light. In these photographs the simplicity of design arrested my attention but the light transformed these everyday scenes into another realm.
I hope you have enjoyed this retrospective of my 30 years behind the camera. A retrospective is a subjective undertaking and I used a wide latitude in selecting the photographs to include. The subject matter in the images varies widely but the commonality is all the images came from my camera. I welcome your feedback and comments (see hyperlink at the end of the page).
This is the final episode of The Monochrome Chronicles. What a collection, if I do say so myself. I did a lot of navel gazing while writing the series, a benefit for me — and maybe for you readers as well. All the episodes still reside on my website so you can catch any that you’ve missed.
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