How did you begin your photography career and do you still produce work?

“I first became interested in photography after I took a class in high school.  After taking a few more classes, I knew that photography was something that I could see myself doing for a long time.  I was really interested in nature and hiking, and photography became a way for me to express that.  Later, I was able to study photography at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.  During this time, I learned a lot of really valuable things about what it meant to be an artist.  Today, I am still interested in the natural world, and it shows through my pictures.  I still take a lot of landscapes, but I have also been incorporating portraits to tell the stories of people who inhabit the land.  Lately, I’ve been using an antique-style 4×5 view camera to take my pictures.”

Why did you choose to teach photography to the younger generation?

“Overall, I really want to share my love for photography as an art form with my students.  My own excitement for photography came during my high school years, so it was a natural fit for me to work at a place where I could mentor students just starting to discover photography.  It is really fulfilling for me to see the joy that my students have when working on their photo projects.”

What is your favorite aspect of photography?

“Most often, I use photography as a tool for storytelling.  Recently, I have been working on a project about a boy growing up in a fictional industrial mountain town.  In these pictures, I show the boy exploring and starting to understand the land that he lives on.  Through the combination of landscapes, portraits, and still life images, I have visually built up the fictional town.  I think that so much can be communicated through pictures, and this is something that I strive to have my students understand.  I invite my classes to make work that shows what they care about, even if it isn’t the most traditionally beautiful subject.  Pretty pictures are nice to look at, but they don’t tend to stay with us.  Great pictures often communicate something that is difficult to put into words.”

The King Street Chronicle thanks Mr. Kevin Williamson, Upper School Photography and Design Teacher, for his contributions to “Humans of Sacred Heart.”