I became interested in photography while in grade school in Richmond, VA, where i made my very first pin-hole camera out of an oatmeal tin. What began as a childhood hobby has grown into a driving passion to capture and share the beauty in everyday life. Whether i am walking around my beloved Brooklyn or visiting somewhere for the first time, I look at the world through a lens of curiosity.
I use photography as a way to explore, seeking the iconic, the hidden and the overlooked spaces in our environment. When I am shooting, I get lost in the image, time stands still for that split second as I think “I have just captured something new”. Outwardly, photography allows me to share my visual passion and creativity, to let others see what I see, how I see it. Inwardly, photography allows me to explore who I am and what I am.
I have always been intrigued by the juxtaposition of natural vs. man-made objects, soft vs. hard, rigid vs. fluid, the way shadows and lines and patterns can shift perception. As a self-taught photographer, I have been most influenced by my experiences in life and my compelling need to capture the unexpected. No matter where I'm headed, I almost never leave home without at least one camera. After all, I believe that the best pictures aren't planned, that fortune favors the prepared, and that experience is the best teacher.
While I had my vision when taking these photographs, I hope you will take them in through your own lens and decide what they mean to you.
© Joseph Sharp Photography