The Art of Photography

this post has no pictures. it's purely reflection. just this once. I had a conversation today with someone I respect - an artist in his own right who owns a frame shop in Dayton (custom frame services if you must know!). Dave, the owner, is an artist and craftsman, and he understands that the heart of a photograph, a painting, a piece of art cannot fully be realized unless properly set off - ie framed in such a way as to display the soul, convey the message, get to the point. I knew this once. Before I came to Dayton, when I first began to frame my images for sale, I chose the mat and the finish that would complete the image - elevate it to the next level. Then somewhere along the way I lost my nerve. I began doing what sold best - black frame, white mat. Maybe off-white mat for a twist now and then. I got away from black mats, even though they made my super-colorful images pop off the surface...they just didn't sell well.

I think I have come full circle. I am now ready, with Dave's help, to begin to set the images in the way they were meant to be - in a way that shows them to their best potential. And this is important. Not because I want to promote my work, or Dave's. But because I have finally realized, maybe recognized again, that art is meant to breathe - to have life. And the only way to make my photography into art is to give it everything I've got - to give it life. And maybe no one will buy it. Or maybe someday, someone will see it, be wowed by the finished product and want to design a room around it, instead of hoping it matches their furniture. I want the art of my photography to speak to people so they buy it NOT because it works with their color scheme but because they can't walk away without it. It's time to get back to basics.

Thanks Dave - for helping me see again what I once knew about my art. And for recognizing out loud that my photography has a distinctive flavor and style that can be recognized as simply MINE and deserves to be treated with care.