My photography began as a high school requirement, an attempt for a balanced education. However, it quickly became consuming. I spent so much time in the darkroom that I frequently got nose bleeds during class. Back then, it was the process of photography that interested me. From loading the film, to releasing the shutter, and finally watching the image materialize in the developing bath – that process was meditational. When I went to college my photography changed drastically. I studied photojournalism at Ohio University located in a small rural town called Athens, Ohio. It was there where I learned the power of an image. How capturing a single moment can tell a story, evoke an emotion. I spent four years devoted to telling stories I cared about, stories I thought needed told. Since graduation, things have changed again. I currently live in Los Angeles, a drastic change from the foothills of Ohio. But it is here where I have discovered what I love most about photography. My camera is a vehicle for the best introduction to a new place or person or culture. If I have my camera with me I explore, I ask, I meet, I learn, I grow.

This series of polaroids, entitled “Haunted Heart”, is a personal project I did inspired by some of my favorite Richard Brautigan poems. After years of focusing on candid storytelling, I wanted to push myself into something that made me uncomfortable; posing people. So, I gathered some of my friends, bought an old polaroid and tried to make images that would make people feel how Richard Brautigan makes me see.

I try to stay versatile with my photography that way I am always learning. Lately, I have been focusing on live music since it is one of my greatest passions. I am also in the beginning stages of a photo/video series about young people who are living alternative and sustainable lifestyles in cities. It is a topic I am eagerly seeking advice on and my hope is that the project will make others reflect on or question their own lifestyle choices.

Kelly Brown

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