Contemporary Photographer from Baltimore, Maryland
STATS:
- LOCATION: Currently located Baltimore, Maryland
- TENURE: Since I was a child
- PROJECTS: I am working on an artist icon series. It ’s a set of pictures with some of the artist I know.
- WEBSITES: www.myspace.com/
alexanderdobsonmedia
1. What is your mission statement as an artist?
There is so much more to learn then what I know.
2. How did you get into photography?
I have been a lover of the camera since a child. My mother took tons of pictures of me. Then when I could understand how to work the camera, she would let me take shots. When I was a young adult many of my friends did photography. I saw their work and thought, “I can do that.” So I brought a SLR camera and took pictures of plants.
3.What are some past and present photographers that inspire you and why?
I never took notice of photo credits before I started teaching myself. Yet when I did pay attention to the names, David LaChapelle was one of the first photographers to inspire me because of the color in his photos. Annie Leibowitz for her soft black and whites and for putting people in their natural element. Richard Avedon for making the pictures convey a message, and Gordon Parks who gave me the belief that nothing was impossible and that the art is bigger than the person making it.
4. You were known as a poet in the Baltimore area before you transitioned to photography. How would you compare the two art forms?
Well to start I don’t need to speak. That may seem funny but true. When you do poetry, if you like it or not, the poet is the centerpiece. No matter the subject matter the reader/listener is wondering how do these words relate to the author? In taking pictures, the person is observing the image. They want to know more about the person in the picture than the person who took it. The last thing is that you can hide a lot of hidden meanings in poetry, that some people will catch. In pictures it is all there in front for you to see.
5. Do you think with the rise of digital equipment that photography is becoming a saturated market? How do you try to stand out?
Photography is no more saturated than Poetry. Anybody who can rhyme two words feels they are a poet. If you can’t, there is a starter set that has been out for years:”Roses are red…” A person who loves what he/she does, will always standout. You keep wanting to push a little further than your last work. Another point to raise is not to beholden to any one idea.
6. If you weren’t working in the arts, what would you do or be?
I don’t know what I would do.
7. Where do you see yourself in the next decade?
I will be shooting on location in Paris. Then in my off time I will be teaching.
ARTIST’ WORK
(click images for animated view)
See Work ▼
