You are at a restaurant and someone takes out their phone and starts taking pictures. It’s annoying, right? That person … that’s me … but let me explain. It’s probably part attention deficits, but mostly just an innate curiosity in exploring the visual world. I have often told friends that I literally can’t stop looking at what’s around me and making pictures in my mind. Click, Click, Click, Click, Click. What’s going on? 

Most of my work starts with the examination of a subject, testing, experimenting, and exploring. Jokingly, it’s like a child putting a toy in his/her mouth or being attracted to a shiny object. But in all seriousness, well not really, I have often talked about the value of play in creating images. Most of my series begin with play, where I am not certain about how I want to capture the subject, but I iterate till I find a balance between my vision and bringing out its’ inherent uniqueness.  It’s frustrating and tortured at times, but often exhilarating. Click, click, iterate, iterate, click, click. 

Something else happens … meditation, mindfulness, and a general calmness that generates an intense feeling of joy. It’s also an escape from pain … a theme I have frequently discussed. When I see an object, for example a fork, I focus intensely on it, look at it from all angles and try to find its’ essence. I may take 30 images to get the right angle, composition, focus, color, and details. Am I distracted? … probably. But I am also in a creative zone exploring the world in front of me. I also revisit a subject over and over again … like the studies of Maple Leaves, Bell Peppers, or Codd-Neck Bottles. They start with play and become art in the process. 

So, when you see me photographing a fork when we are out to dinner, let me have a few minutes to play and learn. It may be the start of a new exploration and the creation of fresh art. Why not snap a few of your own images while you are waiting?