Josh Dormont

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Portrait of a memory

Cousins reconnect (and share a nip)

As I think more about the perspective I bring to my photography, I find portraiture the defining narrative with all its metaphors for life, character, and moment. A few weeks back I was in New Hope for my cousin's wedding and as I moved around, capturing moments and freezing time, I realized perhaps for the first time that I was saving a memory.

I admit that in writing it it seems fairly obvious. That's what defines photography in one of its most basic interpretations. But it's not so simple if you scratch a bit harder.

This might be how interior designers, architects, and even UX/UI experts think - they see the whole coming together as one - the people, the smells, the reflections, the way the light carries from one part of the space to another, the way the space drags people out to dance and repels others... I could go on. As I imported my photos and began editing, what emerged was infinitely more complex than individual photos side by side. A portrait of a memory arose with its range of emotions painted in color, contrasts, textures, and choices.

I admit I don't know exactly what I'll do with this new insight except to hope that by sharing it with you, perhaps something resonates in a way it hadn't before. Perhaps we'll all learn something together.