Sunlight Transformations
"To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting
in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see
and everything to do with the way you see them".
Elliott Erwitt
I’m drawn to old houses and buildings, especially those empty, abandoned or in disrepair. In my photographs I aim to capture a quiet sense of place and raise questions about what the building might have been like when it was in use.
Not long ago while driving down a long road in Maine, I came to an old farmhouse. Fields and woods surround the house. The siding was unpainted and weathered. The windows were dark and empty and it appeared to be a place long forgotten. The façade however did not hint at what was within.
The interior was a startling contrast to the somber exterior. The afternoon sunlight poured through the windows, and transformed the rooms. It made patterns on the walls and the floors and on the few simple pieces of furniture that remained. Sunlight seeped through cracks in doors, across the worn floorboards and up the stairs. From certain places in the house you can see from one space through to the next, and the next, the light always drawing you forward. Subtle colors of worn paint and faded wallpaper hint at the past while often posing unanswerable questions, and a visual mystery is offered to the viewer.
My interest in houses compliments my profession as a realtor in Cambridge, where I hope not to find houses in serious disrepair. Although I prefer to photograph a house before renovations, I prefer to sell it after, or at least have the opportunity to help a client figure out what to do to restore it. I love seeing the creative re-use of properties for new families to enjoy and to make their own history.
