dorianwidlingphotography

The shadow-casters stand, holding various objects high above their heads, the fire at their backs wrapping the objects in light and projecting long shadows against the cave wall. Reality is created, plastered against the cave wall by these fortunate few, the People Behind the Wall.

The musicians, painters, writers, and the photographers, the artists, in short; these are the People Behind the Wall. They write, compose, and frame reality. Photography, then, is less the science of capturing moments, less the habit of recording events, less the art of stopping time; rather, photography is the ability to mould reality, shape perception, and alter preconceptions.

The element of photography which fascinates me most is a photographer’s ability to control the presence or absence of light in an image. A good photographer is able to take any subject or product, no matter how plain it may be, and through the clever manipulation of light and shadow produce an attractive and compelling image. I try to think about this every time I pick up a camera and look through the viewfinder, and in so doing I attempt with each image to depict the subject in a way which is unique; uniqueness, after all, translates into individuality, the essential element of art.