I'm sitting in my car right now, reading and thinking about what justbecause is becoming & I'm really inspired. I've been sleeping on the posts (sorry guys) but don't worry I will be hitting you all with some original dopeness real soon.
Peace,
H
JB: Why do you make art and why did you choose photography as your main medium?
AM: Art has always been a big part of my family, and my parents always made sure I had exposure to art when I was a kid. Growing up right outside of New York City was definitely a plus for museum trips. I guess it was this exposure to art growing up that led to emulation in the form of photography. I kind of just stumbled across my grandfather's camera in my basement one evening and began playing around with it, taking awful pictures, making mistakes and liking some of them, which kept me going. It wasn't until I took a photography class that I knew what a light meter was. But my interest in photography came mostly from the accessibility of the camera and equipment. I still use that same camera.
JB: What does photography mean to you as a photographer what do you see as its strengths and limitations.
AM: Photography is weird. There could be two pictures of the same moment, but framed differently to have two wholly different portrayals of the same thing. I guess that is the case with all mediums, but photography is different because of how real it is. Paintings are expected to be highly stylized and interpretive, so it is different to see that happen with real images. One huge limiting factor to photography is how expensive it is and how expensive it's getting. It's a tough pill to swallow to know that you are paying to develop a whole roll of potentially useless images by just trying something out for the first time. I guess that's the appeal of digital.
JB: your art is very rural, how was a year in the city and how did DC change your style and imagery?
AM: D.C. was very interesting for me in terms of shooting urban life. I was captivated by how many odd people and faces there were around me at all times. There was a certain frantic element to being in a city where there was so much to look at and so many ephemera that are never and will never be captured. I tried my best to capture these oddities of the city, which really intrigued me. Now, being back in rural Connecticut, I'm trying to find this weirdness that exists everywhere, only you have to travel a little further to find it up here.
JB: What do you see yourself as trying to do with your work?
AM: Right now, I'm still just trying to develop a portfolio of work and a style that I feel comfortable with. A lot of what I do comes from sharing images with friends, seeing their different styles and techniques and trying to get a little exposure here and there. Hopefully, once I get more confident with my photography I will start to shoot with themes and get a website up. We'll see.
