Artist Statement, Part Six

Artists perceive the world differently. We are concerned with the “perfect shot”, of course, but we also connect with our art. Art without meaning is useless, and while the pictures of the president, the soldiers, or the child are important, the meanings and emotion behind them are priceless. So we lie in wait. Maybe a block away, or maybe right around the corner. We may have been there for merely a second, or for all our lives, but rest assured, we are there and we have been waiting for this moment.

Artist Statement, Part Five

Visiting the kitten again, I found that it was one of the bravest among them. I found two other kittens from the same litter: both healthy-looking, but scared to come outside. The sick kitten, however, walked outside with the big cats. It didn’t wait for the other cats to bring it food; it went out and took it. The state of their hideout and the cats inspired me to do something about it. I am now in the process of contacting humane societies and anyone who will listen to help these cats and find them a good home, especially the brave little kitten. Art is inspirational, and if it wasn’t for that feeling I got, I would not have found those cats and no doubt the infected kitten would die. I hope that my interference will save its life and find it a loving home.

Artist Statement, Part Four

The emotions that art drags out of people may affect everyone differently, but I am affected every way possible. One day, I was taking photos for my class when I saw a rundown location off in the distance. I had a feeling I could get really good pictures there, so I followed my artistic instincts and was certainly surprised at what I found. A group of stray cats were making a home out of a rundown shed. Among the bigger cats was the smallest kitten I have ever seen. Taking pictures of it was a beautiful and horrible experience, however, because the cute little kitten was blind. It had an eye infection that was most likely ravaging through its body and killing it. Such a small innocent creature was slowly dying because of someone’s neglect, or because it was unfortunate enough to be born a stray. The poor thing could not make a sound and was afraid of anything touching it.

Artist Statement, Part Three

Art has changed me personally as an individual. It changed the way I perceive emotions in people and has made me see the other side of things. A beat-up kitten wandering the streets and photos of starving children are more real than anything most people will experience. They are terrible, but full of hope. Life goes on even in the darkest of times, and art has helped me see that.

Artist Statement, Part Two

Give any common person a camera and tell them to take a meaningful picture. The woman will look all around and search. She might spend hours chasing the world that she will never catch.
Give a professional photographer a camera and the man will look up and down. He will frame his shots of high buildings and zoom in on the plants at his feet. The man will be too focused on the dramatic to notice the world around him.
Now, give a faker a camera: not an artist, but a strict businessman of sorts. He will set up models in designer clothes and train them to look beautiful and appealing. Like Barbie dolls, they will be awkwardly posed in a grotesque display of fake lust and false emotion. These are the worst photos of all because there is nothing real about it.
Finally, give a dreamer a camera: a believer in magic, a risk-taker. The girl will observe. She will walk down the street and feel a pull or a faint desire to stop. As the world catches up with her, she’ll wait for events to unfold. The perfect shot: not staged or manipulated, but full of emotion, raw and real.
These special moments in time did not take place because she took a picture to document it. Her art takes place because of these moments and she respects that. The world moves around us and we are all bystanders.

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.