ARTIST STATEMENT:

Formerly known as the "art" portfolio because the images were more creations of my imagination than based on reality. I now refer to this portfolio as "Photographic Manipulations" because I think it better describes it. Despite the technique used or the end product, all the images are actual photographs that have been manipulated from reality in some way. Sometimes that manipulation occurs in the camera itself, the lighting, the darkroom, the computer, or sometimes even in the printing process.

The main theme of photographically altering reality in some way remains constant. These are visual representations of my imagination. I guess you could say they offer you a glimpse through my mind's eye, or into the creative side of my brain.

I have to admit that not all the images on view here are representations of preconceived ideas. Occasionally when thinking about the end product of the photograph itself, I may look at an object or a scene and either not be excited by it or see something in it that I think has potential, but needs to be altered in some way. Print #051029025 - "Bunnies #25" for example. That is one example when just looking at the bunnies the way they originally were did not do much for me creatively so I had a pre-conceived idea of how to alter their reality to achieve what I was looking for.

On the opposite end of the photographic manipulation spectrum would be an image such as Print #030710024 - "Godzilla and Al." That was actually from an image that I found in the computer after "playing around" with it. I kind of new there was something to be found there when I was shooting it, but I wasn't quite sure of exactly what it was. The end result didn't come until I fooled around with it in Photoshop and found something that I liked.

I suppose if you wanted to get technical about it, you could say that every single photograph is just a representation and not reality. Certainly if I shot a digital image of a person or a tree and touched it up in any way, such as getting some red out of an eye or sharpening the focus, then it would actually be a "photographic manipulation." But it takes more than that to be included in this portfolio. There has to be that element of creativity and purposely altering reality, whether it was pre-conceived, set up, done in the camera, or found after shooting it. Regardless of the method I use or the path I follow to achieve a certain result, I hope you enjoy them.

If you would like to order one of the prints from this portfolio, please make note of the print # and go to the "Ty Store."
Thanks.
Ty Randall