"Camera is your Passport"
I try to follow my heart with my camera. I try not to understand why I'm drawn to particular subjects or situations, but when I am, I like to follow those paths to see where they lead.
I've learned that my instincts and intuition are far wiser than my rational, analytical brain. In hindsight, there's almost always a clear explanation why I was drawn to something, and it's usually creatively rewarding and emotionally expanding.
© David Horton
I began my real photographic journey through street photography, which opened a portal into a world of personal access and observation. But because the nature of this style of photography is fluid and fleeting, the level of intimacy I was able to achieve was limited.
I yearned for a deeper level of connection and intimacy with the people I photographed. I soon found myself immersed in my first long-term documentary project, where one's photographic skills are nothing compared to the skills required for establishing trust and acceptance in a world where you are an outsider, where you otherwise have no business being.
© David Horton
But your camera is your passport. If you can penetrate that wall and are accepted, you can become the coveted fly on the wall and bear witness to a world beyond you and your life experiences. If and when it happens, it's exhilarating, transformative, and deeply gratifying. I've discovered that these are the places I want to be and I'm already planning my next trip.
David Horton is a photographer and graphic designer based in Boston. He is a founding member of the international Observe Collective. His work has been exhibited and published nationally and internationally. He is a graduate of the Art Institute of Boston. More of David's work can be seen at www.observecollective.com and www.flickr.com/davidfhorton.
Fotophilos
Inside the Photographer's Mind
A series about the vision behind the images
No. 1 Satoki Nagata "Definition of Street photography"
No. 2 Damaso Reyes "Open Photograph, an Image that Whispers"
No. 3 Alison McCauley "Not to be Defined by a Genre or a Style"