There are various motivations for taking a photo–to capture a moment, to document a place or thing, to record beautiful light, or to fulfill an assignment. One of my interests in photography has been to somehow challenge the viewer so that they do a double take; the image holds their attention because there is something thought provoking about it. The notion of using visual trickery and humour came to me early on after discovering the work of American photographer Lee Friedlander, and also the paintings of Belgian surrealist painter Rene Magritte.
I had never dreamed in colour, until quite recently (which is rather odd since I spent 10 years of my life in a darkroom printing colour photographs.) My dreams are odd vignettes, where not much happens, yet I can almost always pinpoint the exact location of the dream. Since first picking up a camera, I have been interested in recording quirky scenes; photos that make you do a double take. In the early days, I didn’t concentrate on it very much. I’d take a photo whenever I came across something unusual. It wasn’t until I got a digital camera in 2006 that I began to actively look for everyday scenes that make the familiar seem a little strange.
With a digital camera, I could experiment more–take many photos of the same scene in order to change the angle of a reflection or align elements perfectly. My image making went from taking a one-off of a particular scene to exploring the scene more fully to get the best possible shot.
In my “Colour Dreams” series, I aim to challenge the viewers’ attention in a subtle way by finding everyday scenes with elements of whimsy and surrealism. Like Magritte, and Friedlander, I want to make the familiar seem a little strange, but without Photoshop and image manipulation. These photos come about through observation, using juxtaposition, reflection, typography, and scale. This series shows colour images with dream-like qualities that aspire to entertain the senses.
Each photo has been given a short title, that may indicate the general mood or emotion of the image. It is a reflection of the primal nature of dreams where we are left with a strong, sometimes, surreal feeling.
Product Details
10×8 in, 25×20 cm
Hardcover, 30 Pages
26 colour photographs
Here are some selections from the book:
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