Daniel grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and attended college in Boston, Massachusetts where he took classes in photography at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts. He was interested in photo-process art and experimental photography, exploring pinhole and alternative printing methods. Upon graduating in 91′ he split his time between fine art photography and working in the advertising industry as an art director. For several years Daniel worked freelance in New York City for ad agencies and travelled to Ukraine, India, Armenia, and Cambodia shooting more traditionally in a documentary style. By 1996 however, he made the decision to work fulltime as an art director and then creative director in agencies in Shanghai and Bangkok, and worked extensively throughout Asia for global brands: Nike, Honda, Nestle to name a few. Daniel moved back to Atlanta in 2009 and after working several years as an executive creative director at a boutique digital agency decided it was time to get back to what he loved most – photography. For the past few years, Daniel has devoted himself to abstract photography and sculpture. His primary influence has been the California Light and Space Movement from the 70’s.
400 – 700 Nm
Photography has increasingly expanded into fluid schools of perspective. From its inception photography’s raison d’etre and defining characteristic was the medium’s ability to capture ‘the moment’, crystalizing and archiving a slice of the human experience onto film. Maybe second to this prime mover was the fact that photography allowed so many people to express themselves artistically by appropriating the relatively simple technology and use it to frame the world the way they see it. I on the other hand am interested in the ‘post moment’ horizon of photography and the ‘non-subjective’ perspective.
I use the camera as an amateur scientist uses a microscope or telescope- that is as a means of investigation and exploration into the natural world. I’m as interested in the image making of the scientific community as I am the arts. My curiosity is piqued by the wonders of physics and chemistry as well as the creativity of fashion, design, and poetry for that matter. I see my role as applying aesthetics to physical experiments with light, color, and space.
My process for image making is quite mechanical and more akin to a tinkerer than a traditional photographer. Most of my time is spent constructing tabletop sets that either split light into individual colors or reflect and bend it into shapes. My goal on the other hand is more specific and intentional. I desire to create images that please and quiet the discursive chatter in our heads. In a world deluged with images both provocative and banal one has to ask themselves as a photographer why they would need to contribute any more to the saturation and cognitive overload. It’s my hope and intention to create photographs that give our eyes a respite while also inspiring wonder and curiosity about the world around us.
To view more of Daniel’s work please visit his website.