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ArtSoft Featured Artist John R. Brady,
website: http://www.timeandlight.com/
Enter the featured Gallery of John R. Brady
What first interested you in art?
I have been interested in art as long as I can remember. Now having a talent for it is
another story, I don’t draw very well but wish I could. I consider
myself to be a very visual person, so I am drawn to all types of visual art.
Out of the differnt types of art, which one allows you to express yourself the best?
Photography, as it is the easiest way for me to express myself as an artist.
How did you get started in photography?
I first picked up a camera when I was about twelve years old, I still remember a picture
on the first roll of film that I shot and there was something about the tones and the contrast
that I really liked. I feel like I am still chasing that combination in my photography today.
A couple of year’s later one of my friend’s dad taught us how to develop our own film and then
how to make our own prints, I was hooked. I was the sports and yearbook photographer at my junior
high and high school. I spent as much time in the darkroom as I could. I wanted to make a career
out of photography but it didn’t work out.
What is your favorite photographic medium to work with?
My favorite is large format Black and White.
Why do you consider BW to be your favorite?
I love being able to process my own film and therefore
be able to control the consistency.
Have you ever tried working with digital?
I got into digital early but quickly found it wasn’t for me.
Why do you say digital isnt for you?
Because I developed a bad case of digital diarrhea, snapping off hundreds of shots without giving much thought to
it.
So it seems analog photography is your process of choice. Out of the different analog formats, which do you prefer?
I love the whole process of large format, the way it forces me to slow down and really think about
what I am doing and therefore spending more time analyzing each photographic opportunity. I also like
the tradition and I guess, I am somewhat of a nonconformist, so it works for me.
Just out of curiosity, what type of large format camera do you use?
My primary camera is an Ebony 45su that I absolutely love.
How often do you try to create new artwork?
I work in spurts, I usually spend time thinking about and planning the project that
I want to tackle next.
What inspires you to keep producing new work?
I get very excited about the possibilities and get to a point
where I can’t wait to get out there. Then when the field work is done, the shooting
stops for awhile and the processing starts. A week or two
may go by and then I start the whole process over again.
What are your favorite subjects to photograph?
I enjoy landscape photography.
What draws you to photographing landscapes?
I enjoy the abstract forms that occur naturally in the world around us, my goal is to create
new ways to present these images as finished photographs.
Interesting, who are your greatest influences for your artwork?
I grew up in Michigan and upstate New York. When I first moved to Florida I found it a real
challenge to find subjects to photograph. Seeing Clyde Butchers work was a major inspiration
for me and opened my eyes as to the potential Florida holds to make beautiful images. Other
artists whose work I greatly admire are Ansel Adams, John Sexton, Shelby Lee Adams and Edward Weston.
What do you think have been your greatest accomplishment as an artist?
I don’t feel as though I have had any major accomplishments yet. With my black and white landscape photography
my goal is to create images that challenge the viewer’s senses. At this point in my photographic career I
am still trying to assemble a body of work that I will hopefully be proud of and others will enjoy viewing.
I still have a long ways to go but I am thoroughly enjoying the journey.
How does your view on the world affect the way you approach your artwork?
I try to use the widest lenses available because that is my favorite way to isolate small
some times overlooked subjects and place them in the grand view of the world around us. I
think being a photographer allows me to see the world differently than others. I love being
outside and going to quiet places of beauty that still exist in the world.
Thank you for this interesting interview.
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