REO Images

The images in my collection are very unique and diverse challenging traditional concepts of artistic form and technical norm. That is OK; different concepts stimulate me!  Photographers are challenged to produce images superior and different from those images taken all the time with point and shoot cameras and smart phones.  Indeed there are some very accomplished photographers who have chosen to use the features these smaller more user friendly cameras offer.

I record my images using professional quality camera equipment and refine these raw images to meet my artistic vision often using what I call the digital darkroom. In many ways I see my process following the example of classic painters like Van Gogh, Monet and even the artist/illustrator Norman Rockwell.  They had a vision and created that vision on canvas or paper.  Sometimes I use the raw image as shot; more often it requires a few hours or months to create my vision.

On occasion, after bringing my work home, I may see something not readily apparent.  For example, these three images of a city block in Montreal, adorned with urban art, appeared as a steam engine to me:

The resulting combined image, after post production work, named “Graffiti Train,” is recognizable as a steam engine.  The urban art in this image is unaltered but the color and perspective are manipulated bringing the imagined train to life.

Then there is what I call ‘artistic obsession,’ an obsessive urge becoming part of my being to create a specific result until I see my vision completed.  This was the case one June, seeing Norman Rockwell’s painting, “Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas” at the Rockwell museum in Stockbridge, MA.   This was a commissioned piece for Mc Call’s magazine published in December, 1967.  Every year, the first weekend in December, Stockbridge closes its streets, brings in period cars and decorates the buildings to look as they were portrayed in this magnificent, classic painting.  I had to find a way to shoot this event while doing justice to the original work of art.  Returning to Stockbridge the next December I shot over 400 images to try to record their 18^th annual event.  After reviewing the pictures I took, it was evident this was not a simple task.  Rockwell added features like a mountain range and buildings in the background.  My first attempt was to stitch the images of the town together and this is what resulted:

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My First Attempt
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Original Rockwell painting

After three months of work in the Digital darkroom with crazy hours working until 3-4am, I finally was able to create my “Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas-REO 2007” image.

In summary, my recommendation for viewing my work is to see the images as unique “out-of-the-box” experiences unburdened by conventional expectation. Enjoy the experience and welcome to my world!