John Smith
Artist Statement
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My medium is traditional black and white photography.  The photographs I produce are hand made silver gelatin prints that are selenium or gold toned for archival permanence.   I print in editions of twenty with size varying according to the subject.
I am drawn to shoot during civil twilight.  This is the half hour before the sun rises (or after the sun sets) over the horizon.  These predawn hours are very quiet and there is a sense of presence; a stillness in the air and yet a sense of expectation for the new day. In that perfect moment of grace we stand simultaneously rooted in the world yet soar in the ether of a fantasy just out of reach. I am searching for those moments; when we stop to breath and connect with the world around us, both man made and natural.  Because I use a 4x5 view camera I am forced to work slowly and methodically.  The slow pace allows my intuition to emerge and enter into a relationship with that moment.  It is this that the photo reveals.
Man’s structures stand as sentinels of civilization in a natural environment.  Much of the time they are intrusive, contaminating natural landscapes.   But with the right light they are surrounded with a sense of presence.  A concrete pier takes on themes of exploration or reaching out to the unknown.  To someone else it is where they first kissed a lover and it invokes romance. The quality of the light triggers our own internal landscape and allows us to resonate emotionally with the image.