Artist Statement, Part One

A lot can happen in a moment. The president is giving a speech. Soldiers throw hand grenades over their heads. A child rides a bike for the first time. Photographers live for these moments. We lie in wait: maybe right around the corner, or maybe a block away. We may have been there for all our lives, or for merely a second, but rest assured, we are there. The flash temporarily blinds everyone as the moment—full of passion, anger, or delight—is captured: a permanent memory. Yet no matter how dedicated one is, it’s extremely difficult to capture emotion through art, especially photography, without looking staged.