Exploring portrait photography with my two boys has changed how I perceive everything around me. This visual conversation and collaboration has brought challenges and rewards I never imagined. Shifting emotions as well as physical ones ranging from the obvious to those that might become a mirror to who I am. Photographing an expression that you realize is a product of your own personality is one of the most interesting experiences I have had as an artist and as a father. A full spectrum of who you are or might be rises forward – from reminders to realizations of not just how they are growing but who I am at the same time. This visual journey has brought me back to the tried and true advice to photograph what is closest and most personal to you.
With my two boys born and raised here, Hawaii also adds an environmental backdrop of natural elements. The incorporation of everything from flora and fauna to ocean adds a context to who we are and to who we are becoming. Layers of questions seem to grow and change rapidly, as does our collaboration. The life I photograph changes around us; the death of my wife and their mother has left an imprint none of us may ever understand. To have a chance to understand my life and work at the same time is daunting. To know and be known at my home studio on my lanai has become a life experience I can’t help but to share.
Note: Asterik indicates photographic print in exhibit at Downtown Art Center