ABOUT ME
| ABOUT ME |
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| I've been involved with photography for over a decade. Always drawn to the mechanical aspects that control the wonderful photographic art, i have always been fascinated by the beauty that both the photographer and the camera can capture. Images, akin to echoes, are fascinating and addictive to capture - and cameras, capable of the humanly impossible, fix time on a frame and allow time travel to take place. I grew up in Portugal, spending my childhood and most of my adolescence in a small village on the coast. Being a triplet, me and my brothers were constantly subjected to group photos - something that we all detested. I could not at the time see what was so thrilling in looking through a lens. As the years progressed i became more and more drawn to the viewfinder - first as an enthusiast and then as a student while enrolled in the School of Fine Arts at the University of Connecticut. Over the last few years i've tried my hand at just about every type of camera available. As a student i was fascinated by both the photograph and the camera - this drove me to complete a series of large and ultra large format cameras which i used for several projects. My fascination with cameras does not stem entirely due to the wonderful imagery that these devices can produce, but instead the beauty of the design, craft and usefulness of the camera itself. Similarly, as a musician might find a particular instrument beautiful for its unique tones and delicate constructions, a camera is capable of subtle influences over the artist and as with all the artistic camps, the right tool enables and empowers the creative process. After using these tools for the creative process it is clear that their subtle nuances do not mean the difference between a good/bad photograph (whatever that may be), that is for the photographer's eye to discern. The right camera, however is capable of inspiring the photographer to achieve more creatively - as does the instrument for the musician. In the end, the cold, mechanical and exacting nature of the device will allow impartiality to be present at the frozen moment and expose the intention of the photographer in a way that no words can capture. This relationship between the photographer, the camera, and the subject is to me what makes the art of photography so appealing; and why I've decided to pursue it. Wherever there is a moment worth remembering, there will always be a camera standing between us and the world - staring bravely on the front lines and deconstructing time through its precise and mechanical performance. |