Photography is often categorized in terms of subject matter and each subject area takes on an independent life of its own. Whether it be landscape photography, portrait photography, nature photography or even these days “street” photography, whatever that is, each subject area has its own rationale and way of looking at the world that is often, in my view, too introspective.
I have been involved in photography as an amateur, a professional and as an artist for just on fifty years and my body of work is extremely varied. A large part of my professional work served its purpose at the time it was made and is now of little consequence. That still leaves a body of work that spans fifty years and although it includes a number of different subject areas I see it as a single collection driven by an enduring view of the world.  I see no real difference between a photograph of a person and a photograph of a landscape or one of an animal. Individually and collectively they present a particular world view that is unique to one person.
Quantum mechanics tells us that our reality is an illusion. That we are each just a separate but entangled wave of the Unified Field. Even though we may not understand quantum physics (who does?) we know at a fundamental level that this is true.  We push that knowledge into the background because it is just too nihilistic. It does, however, colour our view of the world and finds expression in our art.
If there is one unifying element to my photography it is a search for beauty. Beauty, as a rejection of nihilism says to anyone watching, or to nobody, “I exist”. However illusory that may be it is why we, as artists, seek to push the boundaries of understanding and to give that entanglement some kind of meaning.
My work should not be categorized into different fields of photography but viewed holistically. The aesthetic and intent of each is consistent. The subject does not define a photograph. It is, ultimately, a vehicle through which we can explore the nature of our reality.
Real, incomplete, or illusory, it’s all we’ve got.