4/12/08

Outtakes...Photography As Inquiry

I use photography as a method of inquiry; it is a tool for understanding the world. It is a record of how I see and experience my environment. For me, the beauty of photography is in the translation of the world onto film. However, that decisive moment, as we all know, can be a long journey to find. Sometimes it just hits you smack in the face when you least expect it, other times you wait for it, and allow instinct and reaction to take over. On my last trip I found myself lingering in specific places. I did a majority of my work in the outskirts of each city I was in, the rough part of town, the places people pass through, the places people live because they have to not because they want to. There was something that drew me to these parts of town, there seemed to be the most life there. So I would explore, driving around, up and down the same streets, over and over again, waiting, anticipating, I knew I was close. When compelled I would then stop my car and get out. There was something about this corner or intersection. It drew me there. So I would hang out with my camera. Exploring, allowing this thing inside me to take over, I would take photographs, I would wait, I would watch, I would look and I would feel. This new series of Outtakes is about location. Each series of images was made within a radius no larger than a 25 feet, each photograph is just foot steps from the last.


East 6th Street & Robert T. Martinez, Austin, Texas







North Comal & Fredricksburg, San Antonio, Texas







East 7th Street & North Western Ave, Austin, Texas