Photography

Definitions of street photography are many, and the genre itself is one of the most controversial in photography. It implies subterfurge, a certain voyerism. For most photographers, this sense of controversy is part of the appeal; for me, though, the genre is a little more tame. In street photography I include any photo taken on an urban environment in which the subject (when it exists) has not been posed -- this includes what I sometimes call a street abstract, i.e., details of the urban environment that create a landscape in themselves. What I love about street photography is the process: wandering around the streets of a city aimlessly, looking for something that draws my attention.

I'll say it from the start: I'm terrible at landscape photography. The photos in this section are not even playing the same game as the masters of the genre. Still, landscape is an important genre for me: it includes not only natural landscapes, but also those photos that attempt to be a postcard picture of famous landmarks. Perhaps because I am so hopeless at the traditional definition of landscape photography, I also include details of natural objects -- flowers, trees, rocks -- that might be more confortable in other photographic genres.

I didn't arrive at portrait photography until 2020, when the global pandemic forced us all to stay indoors. During this period, I found myself unable to find a suitable subject in the home, so I decided to look in the mirror. My portrait photography, therefore, is closer to self-portrait not because of some obsessive fixation with my own face, but because I lacked more interesting subjects. During this period of experimentation I developed a love of the portrait genre, and have enjoyed myself trying out ever more complex lighting setups. Were I a more confident man, I'd go out into the world and try out what I've learned on real people.