Sean Stone
Artist Statement
It is no coincidence that my interest in photography has pretty much walked hand in hand with my interest in theatre. I purchased my first SLR camera at age 17, the same time that I began to delve into high school theatre. The connection is this: I like to tell stories. In theatre you get to tell that story over a significant length of time. A photograph tells a briefer story but can be no less powerful. I have been telling stories now for about 30 years as both a photographer and a theatre artist.
About My Work
My work is still evolving, but more often than not ties into my love of travel, and my love of stories. (And if you love travel, I firmly believe that you have a love of stories!) My first photographic project was in high school. A Day in the Life of Canada had just been published. Multiple photographers across Canada shot from midnight to midnight on a single day to capture the story of Canada across hundreds of photographs. An inspired idea that our Photography Club adviser adopted for a day in the life at our high school. This changed the way I looked at photography. I was no longer taking a snapshot, I was telling the story of a moment. And the series of photos that I took that day just told a longer more involved story.
Travel is all about stories. When you return from a trip, the first thing that you want to do is tell stories of your adventure. My pictures, whenever possible, attempt to show those stories in a single image. I like photography that includes people, a necessary ingredient for any story. Also, I believe that the human ingredient is what connects all stories. Even in pictures that don’t contain people, I want to know about the people that made that scene possible: The person who lived in this chateau. What were they like? This Greek amphitheatre. What was it like to see a show here? Or act on this stage? Ultimately, I find that these stories from across the planet have more in common than they have differences. That’s comforting.
The stories I tell need little embossing. I don’t use Photoshop and I do minimal processing. What you see is pretty much what I saw. Certainly, I have chosen what it is you see, in the same way that a story-teller picks the details that they wish revealed, but the details are unembellished. What you see is what you get.
In my travels, I ‘ve seen ancient petroglyphs drawn meticulously on cave walls. A story of their times. While I’m not so bold to think that my images might last so long, I hope that you can also weave a story or two from my images. Ultimately, it’s stories that bind us together as people on this planet of ours, and it’s those common bonds that I hope will show us that we are more alike than different.
Distinguished Artist of the ArtAscent Gardens call for entry. To see the full body of work, grab a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Gardens issue.
