First things first; All images presented here are copyrighted by the photographer, Christopher E. Holmes, and may not be used without written permission. Requests for written permission to use these images in situations other than what is provided here must be made to:Christopher@ocularperceptions.com.
What follows is an abbreviated biography. Visit my blog entry 'How I Got Here' for my extended biography.
How I Got Here I first got my hands on a camera when I was 2 years old. It was a beautiful Kodak Brownie. This moment was recorded by my grandfather who always carried at least three cameras. I didn't immediately start taking pictures but I did get into art. My first memorable works were in oil. My parent's oils to be exact and my first canvases were the screen door of the house and the side of the family car. Later I even added my own special touch to their paintings. That's when my parents decided I needed my own supplies. From then on I was always drawing or painting.
When I was 13 years old, Kodak came into my life again. The neighbor across the street had several boxes out on the curb which drew my attention. Upon inspection of the boxes and a short conversation with the homeowner, I became the proud new owner of a Kodak 35 Rangefinder with various attachments. I took my new toys home, loaded some film, and became addicted to photography. That Christmas my grandfather gave me everything I needed for my first darkroom. From that time on I was hooked.
I married my High School sweetheart in 1977. I worked a myriad of different jobs before I served 20 years and retired from the US Air Force. During this time we had 3 beautiful daughters who all got to be my models, willingly or not. Due to circumstances, I had to pack my cameras and darkroom away for a while.
At the end of February 2007, I finally bought a Sony A100 DSLR with several lenses and the rest of the gadgets they could talk me into and started back into the world of visual exploration. By mid-June 2007 I had over 7,000 images. Many of which were nothing more than painful lessons. To say I was rusty would be a polite way to put it. I had to re-learn many of the skills I used to perform naturally and there are still more to remember.
I have upgraded several times since that initial purchase, both hardware and software as well as improved my skills with lots of practice. Not as much practice as I'd like but I'm working on that issue. As far as the images on display here, you'll notice quickly enough that I don't limit my vision to any specific style, target, or environment. If it gets in front of my lens and I like it, it's mine. With more time and experience I may settle into a style and specialty but, until then I'm going to keep having fun exploring the possibilities available. I hope you enjoy my work and please feel free to contact me if you wish to discuss any of the images presented here.
Thank you,
Christopher Holmes
Christopher Holmes joined Fine Art America on October 25th, 2007.
