We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Steven Ebright a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Steven, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Miami/Globe

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am an outdoor photographer, specializing in intimate landscape images, as well location photography. In the mid-1990’s, I picked up my first point and shoot film camera to document my hiking adventures in Arizona. My vision from the beginning, was to photograph intimate natural scenes, that were the opposite of the ubiquitous grand Arizona landscape images. To that end, I have spent many years in the Arizona back country, developing my vision.

Some years ago, I also began to focus on location photography, particularly in some of the smaller Arizona towns, from Bisbee to Holbrook, and from Greer to Kingman. I especially love to shoot old buildings. One of my favorite places to do this, is in the Miami/Globe region. There I have been able to make many images illustrating the history as well as the present appeal to that area of Arizona. Even though I have made many trips to Miami and Globe, it is still an ongoing project for me to keep adding that subject, to my photographic portfolio. Since I use natural light, I have to plan my trips when the light will hopefully match the look I am wanting to have. Depending on the time of year and the weather, I have images in direct sun, diffused light, as well as during rain and snow storms.

You can find my images on Instagram, where I have two pages: @stevenebrightphotograpy and @steven.blackandwhiteimages

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

A non-creative who views my work in location photography, may not understand my art form, because they perhaps judge an image merely by the subject. For instance, an image of an old building may not have the same appeal to them as a beautiful landscape. My goal is to capture the more mundane things and make compositions that draw in the viewer to the beauty of structure, texture the integration of a part to the whole.

What I believe some viewers are missing, is to look at the beauty of light, form and composition. How are these three aspects of a location image, in a place like Miami, Arizona, combined to form an aesthetically pleasing image? To consider this, the viewer needs to see how the light and lack of light work together to illuminate the focus of the image. They need to also notice how the form of a building speaks to present and historical context of what is around it. And finally, they will want to appreciate the compositional framing, or balance of the subject in the image.

When made artistically, these three aspects can greatly enhance the natural beauty by the effects of time and use, an image can have on the viewer.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

My style and vision come together naturally every time I am out photographing, as long as the light is right and subjects are found. However, sometimes, I am able to capture an image that I saw in my mind first. This is to have a pre-visualization of an image I want to create, and then succeed in that creation. This is a special, rewarding aspect of being a photographic artist. Sometimes, it is a combination of elements I have been looking for over a period of time. And sometimes it is a overall look and feel of the image, I had in mind, which comes to life on location. Either way, it is always fulfilling to see the results!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @stevenebrightphotography

Image Credits
Copyright Steven Ebright