The most valuable tool you will ever own is your brain.  It is a very complex organ that merges technical knowledge, imagination, organization, design, and life experience.  If you can quiet your racing thoughts, and clearly see what is in your viewfinder good things happen.  

My thoughts and feelings towards the tools I use to make photographs works for me.  I respect their wonderful engineering, high quality, and ease of use, and view it as an extension of my mind and hands.  At the same time, I have a healthy disrespect for the gear I use.  I value and protect my equipment.  I take excellent care of my stuff, but in the end its just a set of tools.  My priority are the images and to a lessor extent the equipment.  I would not hesitate to own the proper gear I needed, however once I own it, I separate myself from the frenzy of new improvements and model numbers.  Its been said, that Adobe Photoshop cannot make a great photograph out of a bad one.  This holds true for camera gear as well.  Expensive stuff does not guarantee great photographs.

I spend a lot of time thinking about images.  What is significant enough to want me to put a frame around it?  Spending more time thinking about making a photograph and less time thinking about gear, puts the emphasis where I want it to be.  It gets my mind focused on framing an image and creating just the composition I want. I do recommend spending time familiarizing yourself with your gear and how it all works to get the tech stuff out of the front of your mind.  Become knowledgeable enough to not think about the tech stuff. My friends and family frequently ask me how they can make better photographs.  Typically, the conversation goes in the direction of purchasing new equipment that can make a better photographs.  They make the rookie error of placing to much importance on gear.  On occasion I take them outside and each of us use the same cell phone to make a photograph.  What becomes obvious very quickly is that they need to eliminate visual clutter and frame their work for a cleaner design.  This works with any camera.  It takes a bit of desire and consistent work, but everyone can improve their photography without necessarily getting involved with a new purchase.

Henri Cartier-Bresson is known for capturing the decisive moment.  Being in the right place at the right time, being ready both equipment wise, as well as mentally alert.  He used quality equipment, however his focus was not on his tools, it was on the moment at hand.  Following are two quotes that emphasize his mindset. 

 To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event.

Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again.

In my photographic career I have gotten to know all types of photographers.  Some are so focused on equipment that they are a walking dictionary of model numbers and new issue gear.  Their approach to photography is from the technical side.  Others I've known are always looking and seeing.  Being with them means you are focused on  the light, texture, and composition, and those things are the topic of discussion.  People will gravitate towards the discipline that appeals to their nature.  Being true to my inner self, means that what winds up in the frame is my focus.  I find that filling my head with all the new gear the industry can come up with takes my focus off where I want it to be. Being more present, more involved in the moment right before me, and seeing deeply into my surroundings makes me more alive and aware of the world around me.  With my work I am essentially saying “here look at this, isn't this wonderful?”  After all, we only live in the present moment.  It is really all we have to work with.  We live our whole lives in the moment we are in, not in the future that is yet to unfold.  Nor in the past that is unchangeable.

These days I find myself thinking quite a bit about my personal photographic style. I am going through my archive, evaluating and rating my previous work. This very quickly leads to questions like, who am I? Why do I gravitate towards a specific look? What common elements are present in all the subjects I photograph? These questions are valid to ask of my personal work.

As I have gotten older, I've narrowed my focus. I want a clearer image identity. How I produce an image has much to do with style identification even with differing subjects. When I am looking through the viewfinder, part of the process is finding subject elements to eliminate from the image. I ask myself how much can be removed without loosing the shot? Along with this decision things like angle and distance become part of in camera editing. The final image begins to take shape, and I visualize the finished image. My successful images have a lot in common. They have good strong composition, clarity, and express my emotional response to the subject. Good technique is important, however I believe it is also necessary to open a door to the heart. I want my feelings included in the image. I am aware that everyone responds differently to images, and that is fine. This work that I classify as personal is reflective of my emotions and reaction to what is in the viewfinder. My process does not end with the camera. There are wonderful tools available for post processing images. These tools add to the control I have in my creative process. The image that I visualized back at the shooting site comes to life in the post processing phase of image making. Successful photographers all have work that they elevate to a special category known as their best work. This top tier of work becomes defining. Often when editing we look for images that have similar defining characteristics. This is how a personal style comes into being and takes shape. This process has more to do with the creative process and less to do with choice of subject. A photographer with a well developed style can be recognized even when choosing differing subjects. Every once in a while someone will see and react to my work in a way that tells me they've understood my point of view. That is a very rewarding moment. As wonderful as that moment is, I like to move past it quickly. It is seductive to start thinking about shooting for a desired reaction. The work I make public on this portfolio site is very personal. I do not want to loose the connection with my inner self that drives my creative process.

My style, reputation, and how people think of my work is reflective of the tip of my creative "iceberg". Like an iceberg, most is out of sight. The work I choose to show and make public defines my creative self, as does the work I choose not to show. The flow of life is constant much like a river, and change is always with us. Within this flow I place a frame around significant compositions. There is always a subtext, always a back story, always the work is autobiographical. When someone falls in love with an image, and can see beyond the surface into a deeper meaning, that is a wonderful moment. It is energizing and inspiring. Every now and then it happens, someone "gets it". My inner drive toward the next image comes from a deeper part of me. When I am successful at shutting out the noise and clutter of an average day I can access that place within me. I have, by now, developed good habits to tap into that place. While I value constructive evaluation of my work, and all are free to form their own opinion, the most important critic I have to please is myself. If I am working on an assignment for a client, then I challenge myself to make them happy while keeping my image identity up front and obvious. You can view a representative sample of my work in the galleries on this site. My hope is that you will carve out a small block of time where you can sit uninterrupted, and look beyond the surface into a deeper understanding.

It's 2016, the year is fresh and new, and we should have flying cars by now. Way back in 1955, the ten year old Andre spent time with his buddies thinking about the future. We were very confident and self assured, we were sure that flying cars would be the norm by at least the year 2000. It is easy to look at today's trends and extrapolate well into the future. Our predictions did not take into consideration one small factor, human behavior. Human nature has the tendencies to run the gamut from saintlike to sinner.

Perhaps there is something flawed in our approach to our own future. Logic tells us that we only can affect circumstances in the current moment. Our past is unchangeable. We can look back at it fondly, or with anxiety, but it is what it is. Our future, can take many paths, resulting in a wide range of outcomes. We either decide or not decide, and embark on a path of circumstances that are unknown to us. Every January, I get this overpowering urge to reform my diet, work patterns, or get more organized. I am not alone in this annual surge of self improvment. It is society wide I suspect. It is not long before the realization sets in that change for the better is elusive at best. Evaluating a change that has long term consequences is daunting. My approach these days is short term. Forget the life changing decisions, lets think of only today.

There is plenty of room for improvement in my life, however I am limiting this discussion to photography, specifically my personal work. My best work is more than can be described by a set of rules or formula. It evolves from emotion, imagination, experiential, and technical inner landscape. I will make the decision each day to nurture and care for this inner space. Avoid thinking to much about acquiring or becoming dependent on photographic equipment. I already have plenty of gear to help me express myself. Value the creative process. Great ideas or photographs sometimes reveal themselves in stages. Editing my work with a critical eye, looking for parts of compositions that stand out, trusting my instincts, and being patient will work. Exercise seeing compositions even when I am without a camera, and it's OK to take visual notes with a cellphone. They are not intended as final, they are just notes, relax and enjoy the process. Concentrate and be more aware of the present moment. Tunnel vision is a human trait that has helped us survive over the millennium, for me it is counter productive as far as personal work is involved. I am part of an ever evolving environment, stay open to the energy that is all around me. I am still amazed by what we categorize as “the small things in life”. My youngest Grandchild, age 5, uses a cellphone to make photographs. His subjects are captured from his perspective. That being low to the ground, unbiased, free form, and without hesitation. Not surprisingly there are some keepers that I'd frame. His approach is pure childlike enthusiasm, and yes technique needs a polish, but that will come later. Primary is encouraging love of life, joy of seeing, and self confidence.

2016 begins with a fresh clean slate. After a brief evaluation, setting clear priorities, and deciding to be more present, I am optimistic. On other fronts, I will eat more salads, less sugar and fried food, and get out and walk more, (with a camera). Also, I'll trust my instincts, stay away from self doubt, try not to take criticism seriously, and be open and observant. Getting out to local galleries to look at the current work being done is also important to me, I will do more of this. The beginning of a new year can be just another day, or a new beginning. It's a good thing I have this chance to reboot the brain once every twelve months. Happy New Year everyone.