Conceptual nominee

Every photograph we see is but a tiny glimpse of the past. The moment we capture the frame, reality has moved on, shed its skin like the cicadas of summer. Like a memory, the frame is a reflection of the thing, not the thing. Our images are symbols of life but not the life. Whether a pride of lions at a watering hole or the horses of Camargue, our images seem so stunning, even breathtaking. But where is the beauty? What is its source? What differentiates the rare, the iconic, and the beautiful from the ordinary, dull and mundane? Imagine, if you would, if you woke up to this moment without a hint of the past – without any of the associations, judgments or connections that seem to determine which thing is beautiful and which thing is not. What would you see? Could the concept of beauty and ugliness even abide? The images of this series serve to remind us that we are the author of such things. We decide what is beautiful, because we’ve decided what is not. This need not be. These images remind us of the power of symbols…more precisely, the power we give to them. We give them all the meaning that they have. We are reminded that we are born anew in every instant that we shed the skin of the past. Here, we allow beauty to be.

Dave is an evolving nature and wildlife photographer. Inspired both by the mystery and the beauty of our world, he has always been interested in what is concealed in an image as much as what is revealed. He uses diverse techniques to beg the questions of what, where and why. He experiences the concept of art as a shared conversation – never simply just question or answer but communion.