Show Your Stuff

Back in the beginning of June, I was fortunate to have two of my photographs selected for an exhibition in western Pennsylvania in the United States. It was the first time my work had ever graced the walls of an art gallery and I was filled with excitement and pride.  It is one thing to have images displayed online through social media, YouTube, and my website. It’s an entirely different emotion and experience to have my images hanging on a gallery wall.

I see myself as an artist. I strive to express myself through my photographs. I also hope to move my audience to feel, to incite a visceral response. I think that comes from my days as a stage actor. I want to connect with my audience. Anyway, it begs to answer the question, do photographers take or make a photograph. Perhaps the answer is different for everyone, but for me, as an artist, I do believe that I make images. I manipulate, expand, diminish, or draw focus to suit the goals of each image, while trying to stay true to the scenes that I photograph.

So, to have images that I’ve made hanging on a gallery wall makes me feel all the more like an artist. Perhaps it is misplaced pride. Perhaps it is old fashioned mentality that if you are an artist, you must have your work in a gallery. I don’t know. But I do feel that as a photographer, you should print your work. Frame it, and hang it. Having it only displayed digitally feels less grounded, less real. I’ve not fully articulated to myself why that is, but I feel it.

I am very fortunate to have been invited to join another exhibition, this time here in Sapporo. This will be the first exhibition of my photography work here in Japan. Daisuke Kondo, a Renaissance man who is a great talent in so many areas, with the assistance of Naomi O’Keeffe, a talented powerhouse in her own right, have put together an exhibition including myself and Naomi’s daughter Kay. The four of us took part in a 52 Week photography challenge; taking one photo a week for 52 weeks and sharing it with the world. It sounds easy, but the challenge lay in keeping a high standard for your photography and consistently delivering each week.

While this exhibition is not my best portfolio work, it will show a photographic journey. It will show that photographers must continually challenge, fine tune, and expand their skills. I’m honored and excited to show this body of work, warts and all, with the three other wonderful photographers.

The exhibition will run August 30th - September 4th at:

Sapporo Shiryokan (Sapporo Archives Museum & Former Cour of Appeal) , Gallery 4

Odori Nishi 13, Chuo-ku, Sapporo

Hope to see you there!

Shaun