Most of the light we experience in the world comes from above. — Leonora ANZALDUA
I LOVE TELLING STORIES.
Growing up the son of artists, the magic of stories, real and imagined, always captivated me. Language is one of my favorite things and while I still love the written word, I’ve found myself increasingly drawn to the words I can write and the stories I can tell with a camera. Observing the interplay between light and darkness is a wild, fascinating and life-affirming pursuit. When I’m not taking pictures of Dope Lives and the Doing of Dope Things, I serve as the creative director at Curiosity Store, a bookstore, wine bar, and art gallery in Jamestown, RI. Because free time is entirely overrated, I’ve also spent the last decade as the Artistic Director of Mixed Magic Theatre in Pawtucket, RI, which I run along with my parents (who co-founded the joint) and lovely wife, who scientists say is the best choir director ever. Ever. In the spring of 2020, my friend Dee Speaks and I co-founded The Vanta Guild, a collective for Rhode Island-based Black photographers.
As I said, my appreciation for free time is lacking.
Fine art portraiture and documentary storytelling are my jam. While film is my preferred medium, I consider myself a hybrid photographer who is chiefly concerned with using whatever tool is best for the story being told. People, places, plays, playoffs, analog, digital…I love the challenge of trying to memorialize someone’s essence fully; their lines, their creases, the lessons they’ve learned, the things that make them people. Fundamentally, my work revolves are identity and how our myriad identities express themselves publicly and privately. In many respects, portraiture is how I grapple with my own sense of identity, my own desire to belong and make a meaningful contribution to the tapestry of the human experience and condition. It is my honest belief that, on balance, most people want to be both understood and remembered. This desire is less about clout and fame and much more about a desire to be in community of some kind, to be connected in some way. Photography has been an incredible gift in my life and, like any good disciple, I feel compelled—convicted even—to make good on this gift in whatever way I can.
I get fired up telling my stories. And your stories. And our stories. For session or commission inquiries, reach out via the CONTACT button below and let’s see what kind of stories we can tell together.
Thanks for taking the time to swing by the site. I hope you like what you see…
JPW
