Artist Statement

Still life is a natural starting point for budding photographers who are interested in experimenting with lighting and learning the particulars of their cameras. For me, the glass bottle became the subject of choice for shooting still life. The spectacle of light refracted by imperfections in the glass and illuminating the golden amber hues of bourbon prompted me to get a little closer to my subject. Still life photography quickly became macrophotography.

The closer I got, the more addictive the process became. Seductive curves and vibrant colors burst into the lens, and minute adjustments in focus and aperture transformed whisky into cyclones and tequila into alien landscapes.

My experience with photographing alcohol inspired me to experiment with other fluids. One afternoon, I was lounging in my yard, blowing bubbles with some friends and their children. At one point, I noticed wonderful swirls in the soapy film on my bubble wand and saw that the reflection of sunlight on the solution gave the colors a stunning vibrancy. The next day, I began experimenting with various lighting schemes, soapy solutions, and materials.

My favorite aspect of abstract macrophotography is the presentation of ordinary objects and phenomena from an extraordinary perspective. Our world is filled with so many remarkable patterns, textures and colors; we constantly pass them by in our busy lives. My aim as a photographer is to capture just a few of those wonders, in order to remind us of what we've been missing.

Technical Details

The photographs in my portfolio have not been significantly manipulated. With very few exceptions, post-processing is limited to cropping, minor sharpening and color correction, and where applicable, conversion to black and white.

All East 3rd Photography prints are made with high-quality archival photographic paper and presented in acid-free matting.

About East 3rd

East3rd.com was born in July of 2004 in my old apartment on East 3rd Street in South Boston, and spent its first two years as a photoblog. My intent in creating the site was to force myself to take some photos every day, and help me improve as a photographer.

These days I don't have enough free time for blogging consistently, so this site serves as a more static representation of my art. Most of my time is spent doing freelance web design and development in Amesbury, Massachusetts.