Kevin Greenblat

Nothing is more interesting than looking at the real world as it unfolds. Staged photos have their place and their own particular kind of beauty, but to me, the contrived can never equal the intimacy of capturing a subject in its natural environment who is unveiling a truly honest and intimate moment.

Of course, the presence of both photographer and camera have the potential to disrupt these moments of intimacy, and it is in acknowledging this fact that my choices as an artist have the strongest impact on the resulting images. As I usually come in close for a photo, I work to make myself included rather than be intrusive with subject and surrounding. I also only make use of natural light, as I want to continue to represent the moment as sincerely as possible with a minimum of external influence.

In a world so full of mediated images, of screens and more screens, of avatars and anonymity, all of which distance us from whatever true subject we are trying to encounter, my priority as an artist is to remove as many barriers between the viewer and the image as possible, including my own intentions. What matters to me is the subject itself and how it can function as a glimpse into the truth from which the viewer can make a meaning of their own.

Kevin Greenblat has photographed throughout the world, but has focused his work on Texas, Louisiana, and Mexico. Many of his photographs are archived at the Wittliff Collections in San Marcos, Texas.