I want to take you to my first photo that I have had on display for years. Follow me, the picture is displayed on the other side of my setup.  Now, this piece is not for sale. It has too much sentimental value, but it tells a story, so I must show it to you before I take you on this magnificent journey of my life. Now, you may be asking yourself, why on Earth would you be displaying a picture of the Statue of Liberty? It’s not just that. I have always lived in the United States, however I know dozens of people who have immigrated, and have heard all of the stories of them or their relatives passing the Statue of Liberty as they headed towards Ellis Island. The dreams that everyone has as they enter America, looking for a better life. It is one of the most sentimental pieces to me, as my grandparents traveled that exact route through Ellis Island. 

After visiting New York around 10 years ago, I snapped this photo, as I took the ferry from mainland New York to Ellis Island, capturing Lady Liberty in all of her glory. I have had this piece on display for years, and it always seems to grab people’s attention, especially due to its significance in contrast and beautiful green composure, standing out against my other pieces as the statue is in the forefront with the looming clouds behind. The sun that just peaks through the ominous looking clouds illuminates the sky like no other. The slight blur around the statue blends it with its background a slight bit, helping the photo become more cohesive since it is so contrasted. I hate to say this, but I usually tell people that this is my favorite photo I have taken, but since it is my first,  I don’t want to sound full of myself.

I’ll take you over here to my next photo. This photo doesn’t have as much of a sentimental value, but I think the photography skills demonstrated, as well as the editing helped this image come to life. I will also give you a backstory. Now, food of course is an essential part of everyone’s life, and it is extremely meaningful to me. My wife is a chef, so when she cooks my family gourmet meals, I always make sure she knows that she is appreciated by photographing her work! She loves cooking all mixtures of food, so I make it my effort to show my affection to these foods with photographs. My photo here is showing the new dish that she made, and the placement of all of the food and the utensils were carefully considered before taking the photograph. After taking one simple bite of the chicken, I placed the utensils down and faced them at a perpendicular angle so the lighting in our house hit them in the perfect location. I also wanted to leave the food mostly untouched because I wanted to display her beautiful work of art. 

And, I’ll take you over here, this one is just a plain picture I took on vacation up in New Hampshire. I captured this photo because I wanted to demonstrate the conflicting views on the world in this piece. As you can see, I focused the image on the background, the trees beginning their descent into Autumn, showing the warmth of their leaves begin to emerge. This, coupled with the shining blue waters of the lake behind it bring together the background quite nicely. However, I thought it was important to also bring in the image of the gum stuck to the side of the ferris wheel where this picture was taken to show how people can interpret the view differently. As I mentioned before, I believe this view to be absolutely exquisite, with the leaves, skyline, and lake all put together, however, some people believe differently. I thought it was important to capture the different ideologies of something while looking at the same thing, in this case the view from the top of the ferris wheel. It is my job as a photographer to represent and respect differing opinions, and it is hopefully your job to understand mine. 

This brings me to my second to last piece I would like to share with you, since I am sure you have plenty of other exhibits to check out as well. You may have a hard time figuring out what you are looking at, and that is the goal. This boat battery photo was purposefully taken up close to explore the intricacies involved in the networking of this particular battery. The bright green battery is the showcase, while the numerous, also brightly colored wires help tone down the completely green frame. Green, a mixture of blue and yellow, should be contrasted with red, as they are opposite on the color wheel. Because of this, the red wires to the right of the photo stick out significantly more than the yellow wires below. This photo highlights the use of the color wheel when exploring photography. 

Last, but certainly not least, if you would like to listen to me talk a bit more about my artwork, is this picture of a fascinating bug. The Halyomorpha Halys, more well known as the brown marmorated stink bug, was captured in this photo in my bathroom sink. While it may be an indication that our pipes need to be inspected, it shows how nature is evolving around us, and gives me a better understanding of the world we live in. The bathroom light did not provide the optimal source of light, however, it is able to highlight the extreme detail that is showcased on the back of this magnificent creature. It reminds me of butterflies, how they are never able to see their own wings, yet they are so beautiful. The same thing goes for this bug, named solely for the smell it omits, however, no one seems to notice the beauty in it. While this is a more recent photo of mine, it has become one of my favorites because it represents how people see beauty today, and how we can never see the beauty in ourselves when it is hiding right behind us. 

“Oh, um okay, that’s … that’s deep.”

“Exactly, that’s how my artwork works! The meaning is hidden deep beneath the surface of every photo I take. Would you like to purchase any photos you see here?”

“N-no thanks, but thanks for the offer.”
“It doesn’t have to be one of the photos I showed you, it can be anything on the cart. I have dozens more I could talk about for days!”

“Sir, I need to catch my subway in a few minutes.”

“Anything at all, I can cut you 10% off of any one you see here!”

“No tha-”

“Pick any one you want, and you got it, for 20% off. 22%”

“Have a good day sir.”

“No-”

“Look around man, you aren’t gonna sell a thing here. Not even a little canvas. You’re in the heart of New York, everyone’s running around at warp speed. I wish you the best of luck, but you aren’t gonna find it here. You better pick a different location to set your cart up. Maybe don’t do it next to the hot dog stand, he’s gonna steal all of your customers.”