Through unposed photographs of everyday dramas, my ongoing series Short Stories brings out fleeting scenes in life that otherwise pass by unnoticed. Isolating these spontaneous episodes in solitary images frees us to fully digest their subtle details. Adrift from time and place, we can infuse each moment with new significance and symbolism. These cinematic, ambiguous impressions encourage us to look long and deeply to discover layers of story, character, and meaning. I made all the photographs for this series on 35mm black-and-white film (primarily Ilford HP5 Plus) using a motley collection of old SLR and rangefinder cameras, and printed them in the darkroom on Ilford fiber paper. Working with analog processes helps me to slow down, look more carefully at the world around me, and make considered choices. My work is influenced by the balanced, structured compositions of street and documentary photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Saul Leiter, Helen Levitt, and James Ravilious. Like them, I try to find moments of visual order that can distill short stories from the spontaneity of life.
