Media: Digital Photography and Photo Manipulation
Artist Statement:
My work falls into two areas in general:the more interesting aspects
of man's relationship with the world he creates (ie, technology) and
with the wider concept of the rest state. This may mean a conceptual
application of thermodynamic principles to psychology and the will,
attempts to induce calmness in other individuals or the reproduction
of images spontaneously generated by the conscious-subconscious nexus
when the ego lets go of the thought process on the way to sleep.
In my visual work, I want to create illiteral images-realities that
never existed except in my mind's eye through the use of multiple
photographic captures blended into photos that can't quite be, but
are, or through the use of elaborate props and visual metaphors in an
updated 19th Century tableux style.
Bio:
I inherited my first camera-a Kodak 110- from my father when I was
about 7 years old, but I didn't really catch his Shutterbug until I
was 16 and going to Valley High School. There I was initiated into
the secrets of the darkroom and its smells by Rick Baker, who taught
me that just because a thing was photographed, it was not necessarily
"real" or "true." With his guidance, I went on to Iowa State
University where I received my BS in Journalism/Mass Communications
and Economics. I was planning to become a photojournalist, but veered
into the world of Television Production. After College, I spent one
year in the Des Moines Video/Film Production market before getting
back to photography proper, a year which taught me a great deal about
seeing light and building sets and props. After that year, I was
taken on as an assistant by T. Scott Little, then a freelancer for
Meredith Publications. Under Scott, I learned that I was meant to be
a commercial-style photographer, controlling the shot rather than
"discovering" it. Following two years with Scott I was hired on as a
full time shooter by Bruce Wagman Photography, which was at the time
located in the Maytag Corporation's historic "Building One" and which
provided most of the photographic content to the company. Here, I
spent the next three years perfecting my lighting skills under the
tutelage of Bruce and James Neal. This studio was the first in Iowa to
have a professional high-resolution digital camera-the Megavision T2,
on which we pioneered a lot of techniques for shooting appliances,
people and sets using the three-capture color method. I demonstrated
an enthusiasm for "digital" that allowed me to become the primary
digital shooter and photo editor there. After three years, I parted
ways with Bruce on friendly terms and freelanced for a year for
clients like Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Phillip Morris and REL
Productions before being hired by LS&W Productions in Des Moines as a
photographer and production artist. In this capacity, I further
perfected my digital and traditional photographic skills with Pam
Wyant, but I was also responsible for production of other forms of
graphic art-primarily illustrations, packaging layout, multimedia
content and marketing materials for a client list that included
Wal-Mart, The Sports Authority, Better Homes and Gardens and Intex
Recreation among others. In November of 2005 I moved to Chicago to work for Paradise Photographic and ETM Studios, shooting office products and home furniture for clients such as Universal, Office Max, Berkline, Ashley and DMI. I have since returned to Des Moines, made my home in the East Village and again joined LS&W.
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