On Landscapes

For me, photography is a visual means by which to explore society and expand understanding of people and place.  With a background in fine art and social research, I am interested in facilitating the observation and personal expression that are integral to making photographs. 

The sense of a particular place can be understood via the interrelationships of the objects within, and the influence of those who reside there.  Whether the impact of people upon the landscape is quiet or bold, ordered by chance or imposition, they inevitably shape it, giving it new layers of character and definition.  My social landscape images examine the implicit boundaries and inherent grooming which exist in a range of natural, commercial, and domestic settings, as shaped by their inhabitants.  Also relevant are the connections to the broader context in which a site is situated, often reflecting the interplay between public and private, as well as the ways in which people navigate their way between or within one realm and/or another. 

Photographs are essentially abstractions, functioning as windows into discrete points in space and time, as well as metaphors for the human condition.  Making photographs is a way of looking to learn, with images themselves serving as a visual communication, a form of writing.  As such, they illuminate meaning in that which is familiar and foreign, affording us the opportunity to cultivate the gaze of our mind's eye.  Moreover, they recreate the experience of exploration, prompting contemplation of the world around us, and our place within it.