I have been mystified by photographic images all my life. They capture a moment in the continuous flow of time. I always thought that by stopping the time continuum I could clarify the mystery. That instant, though, becomes a universe unto its own and asks more questions than it clarifies. It is an endless journey: the more you know, the more vast the unknown. It gradually became evident that the journey itself was my fulfillment and the camera my vehicle.
I was priveleged in the early 1970s to have studied with Minor White at MIT who instilled in me that “it’s not what it is but what else it is”. Those words have led me on a lifelong quest exploring the ‘otherness’ of what I see and capturing it with my camera. Shape, form, composition, the play of light and shadow all have an effect on how the world can be interpreted.
I am currently living in Taos, NM, working in my studio on the processing and printing of 4x5 film, photogravure plate preparation and printing, and digital imagery. Nowhere have I ever lived with so many other artists and the majesty of the light and earth.
For me, a photograph is a form of communication that conveys thought, emotion and understanding without an explanation. It is a timeless presence without the meddling of the mind. The joy for me continues to be an exploration of this timelessness.
CRIS PULOS