hrm be prepared for a long one here. So much so I'm typing it in notebook before posting as a responce

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_{Frank Fiumara
Commercial, Glamour
Pin Up Gallery Director}

No matter what I type it always ends up being long winded - so I'll try to simplify now instead.

I don't recall a time of intense change where things seemed to snap in my artistry - I've just always lived life as an artist, always seeing the world with what I suppose would be an odd perspective to somebody of no artistic desire and overanalyzing almost everything. My imagination is primary source of influence over what I decide to draw, it works from real life elements but blends them into its own complex imagery - and an imagery that rarely am I able to adequately bring out through my work - thus keeping me ever chasing that elusive desire. It takes only a small trigger to send my mind into a place filled with innumerable images begging for life - it could be a scent, a taste, a breeze, a story - pretty much anything. [is this common?]

Unfortunately for me, it seems that whenever I actually have the time to devote to a piece, none of this stimulus is too prominent and I just draw whatever is readily available or most influencing at the moment [example: "Wind Siren" - just drawn from a magazine - not real imaginative energy here except for the hair and the idea that she might be luring sailors away.]

Photography is much more spur of the moment - it is rare that I set up photographs so it is more along the lines of seeing something that I think may have artistic merit and trying to capture it - it is extremely rare that my camera is out and ready when I see those deeply moving photographs in motion and usually by the time the camera is ready the height of the moment is over.

It is odd that I would not have guessed that Joel-Peter Witkin was your initial influence - what with your endearing happy subjects and all.

I've been taking photos since I was very young. My dad started me out with a very basic but excellent manual focus/manual exposure camera. He taught me what composition meant at a very early age. I voraciously read the Time/Life series of photography books. He introduced me to Karsh's portfolio, which I found fascinating. Anyway, it's all a blur since then. Currently I'm inspired by my subject matter, whether it's human or object, or a combination of both. I'm always inspired by light.

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Have some every day: photography.deviantart.com

kevinthom.com
journal.kevinthom.com

Great, thanks for sharing.

I had also always loved taking photographs, and back in the day when I used to live in europe had myvelf 2 cameras over the years, I don't quite remember much about them, just that they were very simple and that I never got my second roll of film for each.
When my family moved to Canada after a while we bot a Digital Rebel X (back when they were brand new), and love taking snapshots with it, using the camera at every opportunity. My oldest cousin was an amateur photographer at the time, and what he did intrigued me. Changing lenses, taking macro's, it all left me baffled, but I continued to enjoy taking snapshots.

Then, last march Break, when I went to a cottage for skiing in Quebec for the week, on the last day, my mother asked me to finish the current roll of film (4 shots). So for the first time I actually got creative. Took one shot of a snow covered chair outside on the balcony, a shot of some trees through the vintage windows of the cottage, and two great shots of the cottage itself from a distance (it was snowing). They all turned out great, and for the first time I wish they had turned out better, I noticed the colours weren't exactly perfect, and the perspective.
Life continued as normal, but near the end of that school-year a friend suggested that I purchase a camera. It seemed so obviousm why hadn't I don't that before?
So I researched, I bought, and played around with it... as I still am.

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Teach me to live... by going HERE.

i had meant to talk to you before about witken...you had suggested him about 2 weeks ago or so
and i googled him. quite simply, i was blown away! something happened and i didn't comment for a few days and i had forgotten his name. anyways i can't describe how i feel when viewing his work...almost like i'm looking at something i'm not supposed to be. his work is so enthralling...i can't look away, i have to force myself to move on to the next photo. do you know the name of the photo you're referring to in this journal? i'd love to see it! i could go on and on...so i'll just say thank you so much for introducing me to the most interesting body of work i've come across in awhile!
as for my influence and how it affected me? i have to think more on it...*coming soon!*

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
I hit him to get his attention. I shot him to calm him down. I killed him to reason with him. --Henry Rollins

member of: *canada-club ~ bassists ~Guitarmads
~toronto

I don't remember the name of that particular photo and it's going to plague me for an eternity. I've been unable to find it online but I'll keep looking I'm glad I could share my influence with you and it seems it had a somewhat similar effect. I look forward to hearing your story

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^{Danielle McKay
Director of Artist Relations
deviantART, inc.
Support the 2008 Weekend to End Breast Cancer}

Sounds great I hope you're really experimenting with it

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^{Danielle McKay
Director of Artist Relations
deviantART, inc.
Support the 2008 Weekend to End Breast Cancer}

Then I shall hope that there will be plenty of interesting light to continue to inspire you because I continue to be in awe of your work

--
^{Danielle McKay
Director of Artist Relations
deviantART, inc.
Support the 2008 Weekend to End Breast Cancer}

I could always be doing more.... but yeah, having fun with it. I just wish i had a lanse with a 3000x zoom that also had the depth of field comparable to a 3x zoom sense. Would make for interesting shots... *crazy macro thinking* ... Did I use the correct wording there?

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Teach me to live... by going HERE.