ABOUT MEI'm a self-trained photographer, and I use my photography to ask and answer questions. Most often, the beautiful answer to the questions I pose are people. People are the most fascinating subjects for me because each person's gaze, pose, and movement tells me something about their history, their personality, their hidden side, and their emotions.
My photo series are equal parts pre-visualization and inspiration. Sometimes I come across a group of people whose story literally jumps out of what they are doing. Other times, I have an idea, and use models, props, and lighting to tell a story. I particularly enjoy capturing images from fairs, markets, parades and other events where adults dress-up and come out to play. Bared bodies are also an integral part of my work. By displaying them in unexpected ways or settings, I try to surprise and guide a viewer's gaze. I'm equally inspired by music and other forms of art, and use my photography to tell the visual stories of jazz musicians, body painters, tattoo artists, and many others who are engaged in their own creative processes. I also use images to describe the ways in which certain songs, which are important to me, make me feel. Projection photography is another special interest. I shoot portraits of subjects wrapped in images projected onto them in a darkened room. The result is an imagined reality where the subject and the projected images collide and combine. I don't shoot photos for love, money or fame. In 2019, however, I did have the honor of being selected as a finalist in the Ed van der Elsken "Lust for Life" Photo Competition of the Nederlands Fotomuseum. In my work, the concept is all that counts. Accordingly, I believe that photographers should be free to work with whatever material they wish to use. Strangers play a key role in my projects, and I've learned the most about photography from working with them. For me, photography is a form of performance art. You stand with a box which you point in this direction or that, and then you snap. What results is a visual memory of a small scene acted out with a group of strangers. In the studio, it's a play staged by the photographer and the model. Please contact me if you have any questions or comments at stevetfoto@gmail.com or via the contacts section below. Other photos are available for viewing at: https://linktr.ee/StevenrTabor Collaboration is always welcome. If you'd like to work together, my rules for working on a TFP basis are here. |
Noh mask: Yasse-onna
Projecting Kate Ri
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