the photographer

A drawing of a tree shows, not a tree, but a tree-being-looked-at…

[John Berger]

The role of photography is not to duplicate an image but to reflect an emotional response. The lens provides a medium for dialog between observer and the observed. The accumulated images are evidence of the exhaustive search for balance between object and frame. To deem one image more appropriate than another creates both a feeling of pride and abandonment. To state, “This is my memory,” should be uttered only after the most careful of reflection. Composition, clarity, depth of field, etc. are all measures of the visual quality of a photograph but it is of the utmost importance to present the haptic sense of place you are trying to capture. The multi-sensory experience is not unlocked with a reproduction for the eye but an artifact distilled from the hands of the observer. A photograph is not a snapshot – it is a memory accrued.

Place cannot be duplicated, it can only be remembered.