Photography is certainly an interesting and engaging passion. My goal is to continuously improve the quality of my images. This progress is not linear, nor can it be measured on only one plane. There are many different approaches toward improvement and many aspects to be considered in image making.
Hopefully people looking at this work will see things as they haven’t seen them before. Part of my goal has to be to show things in a new light, or as the case may be, in a revealing darkness. Part of it has to be to strike a certain, indistinct chord that reverberates with a familiarity beyond that which is seen. Sometimes the goal is to pull ideas from the subconscious. That process often includes building upon improvisational techniques, especially with more abstract work, and ultimately provides viewers an opportunity to discover their own meaning behind the image, with a wink toward’s Derrida’s “freeplay of the signifier.” Yet another part of the goal has to be to try to reconcile the difference between opposing elements, sharpness and blur, color and monochrome, line and form, simplicity and complexity, truth and fiction, cognition and emotion.
Sometimes older work can provide perspective with which to approach the newer work. Many of the older pieces have a generosity beyond that with which they were made. They give perspective and help the newer work along the way. Even images that are less well received have a voice. They are dynamic and like a dance, they change with the music. For this reason, it’s difficult and perhaps unnecessary to completely set old work aside, so it is in the interest of giving some perspective to the newer work that I include a link to some of my old, perhaps outdated work, in the form of my old website that can now be viewed by using the following link: archive.paulbracey.com
Creative vision can be a gift that both anchors us and liberates us. When blessed with the determination and good luck to exhibit work, it is often refreshing to learn that it speaks to others too. This is a cause for great pride. It is like someone heaping praise on your child. After all, the work is not you, but something that became itself through you. Like good deeds and children, it is often tempting to describe them in great detail, pointing out each feature and form worthy of praise, but in the end, it is usually best to let them speak for themselves. And as with raising children, family and friends prove ever so helpful with their wit, insight, honesty, encouragement and support. I think in any statement like this, it is important to offer to them a sincere,
“Thank you.”
