First, let me say that I believe that these 'Artists Statements' are unnecessary.  I
do not believe that mere words can describe to any degree what my photographs are 
intended to convey.  

Second, my main goal as a photographer, as in life, is to enjoy every possible minute.
I shoot what makes me happy.  I post pictures that make me happy.  I believe that my
work is, at times, notable, and have been excited to see the reactions of friends and
family when they view my images. 

I have been slow to make photography my job.  As with other things in life, once
you try to make it a money-maker, you quickly succumb to being a slave rather than
the master.  Once its a job, it's not so much fun.  I have met a few photographers
who are exceptions to this rule, Art Morris being one of them.  With time, I have
dedicated more and more time and it continues to amaze and delight my senses.

As for the pictures themselves, I believe that my work counts as 'art'.  I do not
attempt to purely document what I see.  I believe that the camera, which is a soul-less
machine, cannot capture what we as humans SEE with out eyes.  For seeing is also
applying context.  That context includes the smell of the air by the see, the feeling
of the wind in our hair, the laughter of children playing at a wedding.  Since
the camera captures only a two-dimensional set of color pixels, it is my job as
the human behind the camera to turn that information into a living work of art.  
This is accomplished by setting the scene and hours of preparation before pushing
the shutter button, and also by making minor changes to the image afterwards.  These
can include cropping, sharpening, removal of distractions which were unavoidable
at the time of capture, and mild color adjustments.  

Each artist is able to decide for themselves how much 'adjustment' is ok.  My goal
is never to create something that was not there, merely to bring out what was there
and represent it in as pure form as possible.

I look for vivid colors in nature.  I look for soft pure backgrounds of color to
make my subjects 'pop'.  I seek the best light to shoot in, as magical moments in
beautiful light make for the absolutely best images.

Thank you for spending time at my website.  I hope you enjoy my images, my teaching,
and I look forward to shooting with you in the field.

-- Timothy H. Kaufman, MD

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