The concept of beauty is much discussed throughout the course of human history. It’s something we are obsessed and besotted with. We are attracted to it and terrified of it at the same time. We seek it out, we attempt to capture it, define it, pin it down, objectively identify it and then nail it up on walls and mount it on plinths for all to see.
Writers, thinkers and poets have filled vast libraries with tomes dedicated to its mystery. At best all we can do is try to capture what it is we feel that true beauty is. We set out to look for it but never quite find it, although it’s all around. It’s not that is isn’t there, we just have to learn to use our perception to more clearly see what it is we’re looking for and looking at and tune our instruments more sharply. Yet the harder we look to more it evades our grasp, such is the paradox of seeking that which we do not always fully comprehend.
Beauty is not solely perceived through the eyes. It’s a powerful emotion that is more experiential than merely viewing or looking. We may not be able to explicitly define the concept of beauty, as ethereal and delicate it may appear to be in our consciousness. However, we all instinctively know the feeling when we experience genuine beauty, and we tend to never forget it, as such experiences are rare during the course of one’s lifetime.
The modern camera is a very versatile tool, and in the right hands is adept at snatching glimpses of that which speaks to the human soul and human condition. I have spent many years in pursuit of such images, and look forward to many future years of similar pursuits. I first began to notice a kind of austere and forlorn beauty present in abandoned buildings and towns. The structures possessed a kind of shabby elegance and ghostly dignity. It has been a mild obsession of mine for quite some time. More recently I have turned my attention to the innate beauty of the female form, and where appropriate juxtapose with an abandoned space or some suitable location as befits the particular model’s attributes, demeanor and personality. This is a fork in the road but the end goal of the pursuit remains the same.