I use photography and found objects to tell stories and give glimpses into individuals’ characters and their responses to each other and to their environments. In this way, I consider myself a sort of “visual anthropologist,” making observations in communities by driving around, meeting people, listening to their stories and collaborating intellectually on how to use my media as a platform for revealing a type of truth.
It’s a human-driven approach, for which sometimes the art can be one solution to a problem—a shared emotion caught in a photograph can profoundly impact a viewer and a community. I like to create a feeling of frankness in my photos—a sense of authenticity even in surreal settings or playfully staged drama.
I don’t like labels, so I’ve never really called myself an artist; it’s possible I have an oppositional reflex – but I often consider the quote, “Talent is hitting a mark no-one else can hit. Genius is hitting a mark that no-one else can see.” I am by no means a genius, but that quote always struck me as a tool to understand others and how to challenge myself.
