Photography is the only art in which you start out with a completely full canvas. Then you make choices about the elements you can take away. It's simplicity that I like.

I've been attempting to speak visually since about 2006. Over the past several years I've shot with many toy cameras, polaroids, 35mm, medium format and digital cameras. The vast majority of my photography is now captured with a very old Hasselblad 500c, a medium format pinhole camera, and a DSLR. All of my post process work is done in Lightroom. Two things that I don't particularly want in my life are ownership of a car and ownership of Photoshop. I tend to avoid both, but I not with much vim or vigor.

I would rather have viewers think about an image than a process, but I understand that people are sometimes curious about "how" something is made. I tend to conceal info like EXIF data because I feel like it is distracting. If, however, anyone is curious about any technical info, I'm open to any questions. I do, however, feel like the result is more important than the process.

Thanks for seeing.
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Photos of thespeak (33)

  • pinhole portait of a pinhole user by manyfires
  • by andipantz
  • for the love of film by manyfires
  • Flickr_meetup_8-11-04A by jmantze
  • pass by thespeak
  • shooter on the seashore by andipantz
  • A view of the viewers by karmagroovy
  • Balance is both as solid as the earth and as fleeting as the twilight by Zeb Andrews
  • by ~carie~
  • Crux by Zeb Andrews
  • by ~carie~
  • Erik and Don by karmagroovy
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thespeak's favorite photos from other Flickr members (7,782)

  • by u n c o m m o n
  • by u n c o m m o n
  • by u n c o m m o n
  • by u n c o m m o n
  • depth of conscious by ©arlein
  • all is not lost by Fading Truth
  • sooner than you think by ©arlein
  • futuristic scene by by:seb
  • Around this far star, a world turns by Zeb Andrews
  • even more vast and endless (full length) by isadoradante~
  • Afternoon Walk by LowerDarnley
  • swept into the storm by manyfires
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Contacts (562)

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Testimonials (6)

  • view profile

    Mackeson says:

    " ... 4:30 am ... echoes ... pink floyd ... instant coffee ... honey ... cigarettes ... my dog has abandoned me ... to glaciers ... costa rica ... italy ... gonzo world trekking ... global re-positioning ... zero ... unfamiliar images of familiar places ... bravo!"

    17th April, 2011

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    Dead Air says:

    "thespeak speaks with his cameras and if we aren't listening our eyes must be deaf."

    20th June, 2008

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    Dan65 says:

    "Erik is simply a star. A very unassuming, generous, warm-hearted star, but a star nonetheless. He has quietly developed his own special and very excellent photographic style, whilst all the time showering other photographers with ebullient and enthusiastic praise. He sees things in a way others don't, processes pictures in a way others don't. Don't be misled by his modesty about his work - Erik is a darned good photographer, every new image is a new experience for those who view it. Put thespeak in your list of contacts and enjoy his pictures as I do."

    15th January, 2007

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    AgonysMuse says:

    "Erik has a wonderful perspective on the world. I love how he has taken the time to show us things from a different point of view. Simple and elegant with the perfect touch of creativity!"

    19th August, 2006

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    oybay© says:

    "Erik is what Flickr is all about. Leaving Portland, I never thought I would be seeing what's going on anymore in the Rose City, but his pics bring it on home! Why can't there be more people out there like "thespeak"?"

    16th August, 2006

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    donkey with a hat says:

    "yo. you rock."

    15th April, 2006

Name:
Erik
Joined:
January 2005
Currently:
Portland, OR, USA
I am:
Male
Occupation:
other