They are tools to convey thoughts, ideas, emotions, points of view, and reasons for being.  The tool I am most comfortable sharing my point of view with is a camera.  Music and painting influence how I make these images.

I’ve been deeply influenced by music, from Chopin, Cat Stevens and Fleetwood Mac to New Order, Andrew Bird and Sharon Van Etten.  When asked how I’m feeling, my most natural response has been to share a song. Songs that resonate most with me use classic storytelling arcs, from a dramatic intro and a bold melodic chorus to an often ambiguous, yet still conclusive end.  When a song uses well-articulated transitions to tell its story, I perk up.  If it has a sense of tension and release, it will make my playlist.

I’m equally influenced by painters and their ability to tell a story in one frame. Using composition, light, color, and subject in one go to drive a point home is a skill that can take a lifetime to master.

Each image I make should be able to convey an emotion or thought on its own. A series of images are intended to articulate an idea or tell a small story, just as a song will through an arrangement of notes, chords and lyrics.  I use a juxtaposition of images to find tension and release within my subject, hopefully adding depth to my story.  When deciding on image sequence, I consider transitions within the series, just as a song will, in hopes of connecting the listener to the emotional point.

A series of my images (or a “song”) is grouped with related songs into a larger theme that works together to tell a bigger story; the musical equivalent of an album.  My albums may be planned in advance, but are also grown organically.  Each “song” conveys a part of its album, sometimes working together with other songs, and sometimes working add odds with them, all with the intention of telling the bigger story using tension and release.

I may be shooting towards any of my songs or albums at any point in time, so existing songs and albums will change over time, and new songs or albums will be developed.  My images, though sometimes shot out of context, are always working towards sharing an emotion and a reason for being within anything I do.  Given that, my work is deeply personal.  What I enjoy most about this process is hearing the meaning you take away from these songs and albums, as it is often quite different from my own!

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