artist statement and explanation of work

first and foremost, i consider myself a street photographer.   not that i haven't staged shots or more recently created them independent of the camera.  i have and i am sure i will continue to explore those options.  but when its all said and done, i feel the most gratification from the images i discover on the street.  

i look at the world and try to find something extraordinary in the ordinary.  portray the simple things punctuated by a question mark, not an exclamation point.  i prefer my images to elicit questions and provoke interpretation rather than simple acceptance and admiration.  i mostly work in black and white to eliminate the reality of color.  this helps break down the image to the message.

i find it difficult to define my work because i really expect the viewer to define it.  my goal is to elicit a response, emotional i suppose, when my work is considered.  

my portfolio can be assembled into 4 catagories and loosely represent my transition in the medium:

"anonymity"    this represents the core of my work and exhibitions.  the subjects are people that are mostly unidentifiable.  often headless.  the images are composed intentionally strip them of their identity and to eliminate the tendency to relate to the subject.  its not about them, but their place in life at the time.

"extrapolations"  these images started out as an exercise to help me develop a wider vision.  the images are two intentionally consecutive captures, assembled to form one thought.   the exercise requires both visual discipline as well as mental interpretation. 

"nudes, characters and other momentary lapses of reason"  you could call it a catch-all, i suppose, but the images represent explorations and visions that fall outside anonymity.  

"metamorphosis"  is predominantly my transition from the "purest" (black and white film) to adaptive (digital, color and manipulative creativity.)