DEAD ART

2025, "Thr Great Mother 35, Nikon, silver halide

My participation as a photographer

on Halloween with cameras, I join in the festivities. With respect to the techniques of amateur photography, I use 127 film of various stocks and AG-1B flash bulbs with my Starlite, Kodak Brownie, and Flash-O-Set cameras. I also use my 35mm Nikon F, with black and white or infrared film. I have four cameras on my body while shoot-ing. Someone in the Halloween crowd thought I was dressed to be the deceased photographer, 'Diane Arbus. I felt honored.

The people that I shoot are passing by, and I have seconds to catch a shot. 'Dead and Alive' is anti-F-64 photog-raphy. No part of this process is precious or precise. The series I shoot is 'by the people, for the people, and of the people. Working with old cameras and film, every image is a chance of luck.

Robert Frank's stunning documentary book, The Americans, and Larry Clark's work in 'Tulsa' were early influ-ences. As an artist, instead of creating the image, I chose to capture the image as art in motion.

Technology gave me the ability to expand my vision. With later images, I had the option to use Photoshop to isolate my subject and selectively add or remove surrounding elements, marking a significant technical progression in the series. Other images from newspapers and paintings have been used alongside my pictures to create a duality of composition. I have used Al to create backgrounds for my subject.