maxxsmart's photostream  

A lifelong resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, I grew up along the rolling hills of the eastern side of the bay. My interest in photography came when I first viewed the glowing night lights of San Francisco through my bedroom window high above the flat lands of the east. Far off in the distance the San Francisco skyline lit the bay waters, and at that moment I felt something change within me. Years past and I continued to watch the sun set behind the city, and the storms roll over the bay. It wasn't until later in life, 30 years to be exact, that I decided to explore my interests in photographic expression. With no real knowledge of photography, I took every opportunity to learn from my mistakes, and the success of many master photographic artists. Constantly experimenting with techniques, and styles, I found my true passion within seascapes, architecture, long exposure, and black & white photography. Though these elements are where I have formed my base, I find it impossible to hold myself true to one form. With the ever changing elements of the world around me, I follow the inspiration that the moment creates.




The digital age... Where the tangible meets virtual. A space in time where analog has been overthrown by ones and zeros. A reality of instant information, and gratification.

I am part of a generation that has a anamnesis of the analog world as we once knew it. A world of audio experiences through the crackle of black vinyl discs, or the warm hum of thermionic valve amplification. A world visualized through Cathode Ray Tubes, and latent images. A world of communication where pen meets paper, and voices were transported through the coils of a copper wire. Today these experiences have been displanted by the far more convenient mp3 file, transistor, email, or digital image.

Because of my existence in this space of time, I have found myself blissfully conflicted by these ever evolving technological regressions. With only just a memory of the comforting simplicity that the analog world offered, my ambivalence to the digital world weakens. Day after day I find myself embracing more of this digitized universe, most of which can be found within the images viewed on these pages.

The digital imaging process of today offers convenience, and instant gratification, both I am sure Edwin Land was seeking in the invention of the Polaroid. The digital darkroom of this age empowers us with the ability to alter reality in way that the ones of the past could never have imagined, but I am sure would embrace today. We have the power to add, subtract, move, and manipulate what we see fit in our images. I appreciate the art of digital manipulation in images, and I do find it necessary to use some of these techniques within my workflow, but I do so with the spirit of tradition in mind. Each of my images contains the information that was recorded on site in a single frame, nothing more. Like the artists that have inspired me, I have chosen to manipulate these images to fit my own interpretation of a subject. Where manipulation is needed, I do so with the digital equivalent of that found in the analog process.

To claim that I have been self taught would be a misrepresentation of the knowledge I have gained over time. I truly believe that we are taught by those around us, directly and indirectly. My knowledge may not have come from formal instruction in a class room or from a book, but I have obtained this knowledge from those that have inspired me. Through trial and error, emulating, and recreating, I have been taught by many and myself.