Thomas

A.R.T. & Hands

Montana - Gold

Aaron R. Thomas photo shoots

The past few weeks I have had the opportunity to work on a photo documentary for internationally acclaimed artist Aaron R. Thomas (http://www.aaronrthomas.com/) for his new website. A little history on how I met Aaron… a few years ago I stumbled upon Aarons' original studio in Costa Mesa. It was literally off the beaten path in the back of an industrial warehouse on Bristol and the 55 freeways. With my fascination for furniture and design, I appreciated his design aesthetics and intelligent use of a variety of mediums. I immediately visualized a shoot with Aaron and one of his many infamous painted chairs. That did not happen for two years! And when the opportunity arose, it was an experience to execute a well thought out vision of the master artist and his creation.

Fast forward another two years, and I’ve been reunited with Aaron at his temporary studio in San Juan Capistrano. Just a stone throw away from my new digs here in San Clemente. What I’ve witnessed by working with Aaron is that he is constantly hard at work creating new and diverse pieces of A.R.T. He is extremely talented with a variety of mediums, some of these being: steel, wood, petrified wood, and leather to name a few. My goal is to assist Aaron in documenting the journey he and each one of his pieces go through. Often times, the viewer and eventual owner of the A.R.T. never witness the process. And we both feel that this is an integral part of knowing the journey, where each piece begins, its transformation and ending. This creates an intimate relationship between the artist, their creativity and the viewer. Attached are a few photos from several shoots we’ve had:

Aaron @ Chopsaw

Aaron welding

Aaron & Zues

Humble Beginnings

I would be lying to myself & those around me that I didn't want to pursue photography anymore.... Today I came to a bridge in my life… a bridge that I was about to cross… into a whole new job & career. Could I do this? “Well y-e-s.” Was it really me? “No.” These were some of the questions that I was posed with. My feelings were like “N-o!” This is n-o-t me. You need to communicate who you are! This is who I am… a person that communicates present time with photography… the exact moment in time, the present moment, is what creates the image. It is also the journey and the experience that creates the image. I am a photographer that takes beautiful portraits of people and tells their story. This is with any person, place, or thing. It is an emotional experience… the area that I am standing, with the subject whether it is a person, place, or thing. Holding the camera, feeling the weight of its body in my hand… looking through the viewfinder at the opaque glass and turning the focus knob to focus on the image clearly,… moving to get a better angle... adjusting the settings for the exposure… and ‘click’… taking the photograph in that particular moment in time.

I am grateful for the many wonderful experiences that photography has brought me and the many more opportunities I will continue to receive. I am especially grateful to the people that have helped make those opportunities and experiences possible (you know who you are). Along with my Higher Power, they were able to see and share my vision,… to see it come to fruition. There is an unlimited amount of opportunity… and I want to be that photographer that will communicate your message you want to convey through impeccable photography. Here are a few images to admire… Please let me know how I can help you and I look forward to working with you.