Larry Hampton
Bio
Larry Hampton has been a dedicated amateur photographer for thirty-five
years, working now exclusively in medium format monochrome. He has
received awards in juried competition at all levels from local to
international. His work has been published as greeting cards and
is found in numerous private and corporate collections. He has had
solo exhibitions in Honolulu, Denver, and in Colorado Springs. A
career in the Army provided the opportunity to live and travel around
the globe and gave him exposure to a world of intriguing subjects.
He now makes his home (and darkroom) north of Colorado Springs.
Artist's Statement
My philosophy is not mystical or complicated: I listen to the muse
and make images that please me, and try to engage the viewer at
some visceral or intellectual level as well. I choose to practice
traditional, straight photography with a minimum of manipulation
of either the scene or the print. I do not create the images I record,
rather I find them. I try to view my surroundings with an artist's
eye and see those things that are easily missed. My desire is to
help the viewer appreciate that which is already there, but which
is not noticed in passing. If now and then someone says "Hmmmm",
then I am a success.
Why black-and-white? I am fascinated by black-and-white images.
Of course I appreciate beautiful color photographs, and in many
cases color is the most important component of a memorable image.
But, for the most part, color does not move me. Perhaps it is too
realistic; it can get in the way of appreciating the composition,
the gradation of tone, the light and shadow, the detail. Those are
the elements of photography that speak to me.
A photographic print is a work to be studied and appreciated on
its own merits, not just for the subject which it represents. Without
question, the subject is of critical importance (without it there
is no picture), but the purpose of photography as art is not merely
to show a picture of something. It should give the viewer pause
and should elicit some sort of response. It is my feeling that black-and-white
does that best.
The world is filled with color. Black-and-white images are, therefore,
less realistic, more abstract. Some will state that black-and-white
photography can be more artistic than color photography because
of that absence of realism. Clearly a fine color image can be appreciated
for all the same reasons that a fine black-and-white image can be
appreciated, with the added bonus of color, which can range from
spectacular to merely an incidental component. But I believe that
what the viewer often sees is the subject which is depicted in the
print. Since monochromatic photographs do not create a full-spectrum
copy of reality, the eye of the beholder is less likely to be preoccupied
by the subject and more likely to respond to the image itself. That
is what the photographer desires.
Larry Hampton 02-01-05
The images in
my gallery are available as archival prints on 11x14 and 16x20 paper.
My portfilio includes a great number of images that are not represented
here. Please contact me with any questions. Thanks very much for
your interest!
| Paper Size |
Matted Size |
Matted Print |
Framed |
Print Only |
| 11x14 |
16x19/14x20 |
$120 |
$220 |
$90 |
| 16x20 |
18x26/22x26 |
$200 |
$340 |
$150 |
