Ever since I first crawled out of the crib with a Canon in one hand and a model release in the other I’ve been taking pictures…
Well, not really, but I always love when photographers say stuff like that. Actually, I’ve been a lot of things on my way to becoming a photographer: bouncer, bartender, dog trainer, writer, director, ad man, salesman, beggarman, thief. A lifetime of experience inspires my view and my vision. I approach photography as a lapsed filmmaker in that I believe in the power of a single photograph to tell a story, and not just in that Rod Stewart “Every Picture Tells a Story” way, but in the way that in a really good picture, in a look or a tilt of the head, you can see a person’s past and sometimes even their future. Sometimes, my job is to document this, sometimes to create it, but I’m always conscious of it; I always seek it out.
I approach my work as if I’m witnessing a private, intimate moment. The result are pictures with a sense of immediacy; what you’re seeing is happening now and at no other time. The faces in these photographs are an emotional Rorschach Test: In the end, you supply your own story.
Then again, sometimes I just like taking pictures of my dog. Depends on the day.
And the official press release would go a little something like this:
Eric Charles is an LA based photographer specializing in alternative and underground nightlife photography. Published in the US and Europe, he has created several iconic images that document the goth, fetish, and punk scenes. Most recently, he contributed to “Gothic: Dark Glamour” a book by fashion historian Valerie Steele in connection with the Museum at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) in New York City..
Well, not really, but I always love when photographers say stuff like that. Actually, I’ve been a lot of things on my way to becoming a photographer: bouncer, bartender, dog trainer, writer, director, ad man, salesman, beggarman, thief. A lifetime of experience inspires my view and my vision. I approach photography as a lapsed filmmaker in that I believe in the power of a single photograph to tell a story, and not just in that Rod Stewart “Every Picture Tells a Story” way, but in the way that in a really good picture, in a look or a tilt of the head, you can see a person’s past and sometimes even their future. Sometimes, my job is to document this, sometimes to create it, but I’m always conscious of it; I always seek it out.
I approach my work as if I’m witnessing a private, intimate moment. The result are pictures with a sense of immediacy; what you’re seeing is happening now and at no other time. The faces in these photographs are an emotional Rorschach Test: In the end, you supply your own story.
Then again, sometimes I just like taking pictures of my dog. Depends on the day.
And the official press release would go a little something like this:
Eric Charles is an LA based photographer specializing in alternative and underground nightlife photography. Published in the US and Europe, he has created several iconic images that document the goth, fetish, and punk scenes. Most recently, he contributed to “Gothic: Dark Glamour” a book by fashion historian Valerie Steele in connection with the Museum at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) in New York City..