Personal Expressions

 

I came to photography at an early age.  For a Christmas gift, when I was 6, my grandparents gave me a Polaroid OneStep instant camera. I was fascinated by it from the outset. Wherever we went and whatever we were doing as a family the Polaroid had to come too.  When my parents got tired of buying me film packs I started saving my meager allowance and buying it myself for the equivalent of $31 for 10 shots in the 1970's. I was completely hooked there was no doubt about it.  I continued to study the process of photography, as I grew up and all through my university years,  starting with 35mm and medium format film.  I made the switch to digital when it was still in its nascent stages based simply on the new possibilities of expression it was bringing to the medium.

I have been influenced by brilliant minds from throughout the entire history of the photographic medium but I feel most strongly allied in my personal vision with artists like Alfred Stieglitz, Gordon Parks, Dorothea Lange and Arnold Newman.  I have always envisioned my camera as a magical tool that allows me to preserve an instant in time as I want people to see it. I believe that striving toward this goal, with this idea in mind, I can achieve the best blend of both documentation and personal expression. 

 

 Michael Napier Photography          Dallas,Texas USA          michael@napierphotographie.com          (214) 843.1781