Artist Statement
I make photographs as a way to explore stories and mysteries. Yet, the images in my photographs are not so much about telling “the story” as they are about stirring up the mystery about what the story might be. They are tableaus, intended to both express my idea about the story and provide a window to explore the mystery of it. I am forever fascinated by the way something seen can draw us into the unseen.
Bio
I have been on a frame by frame exploration of the process of perceiving something visually and then conveying my idea about that perception with a photograph for many years. Growing up in Arizona I was initially inspired to make photographs of its dramatic landscape. I chose to photograph with black & white film because I loved the work of Ansel Adams. It was his vision and technique that schooled me most at the beginning of my quest to be a photographer. I continue to work with black & white film in the landscape of Arizona and beyond, and print my negatives with a condenser lamp house in my personal lab, and always with music.
Michael C. Hughes