Keith Carter’s photography displays his interests in ornithology, astronomy, imagination, and memory-“all the things that are important; that make up a true human life.” He is referencing work entitled Utopia that is loosely inspired by surreal artist Joseph Cornell.
An essay by Bill Wittliff greatly and poetically captures Carter’s introduction to photography and his evolution and life as an artist. Carter was introduced to photography by his mother whom, after being left by her husband, took the only skill she knew and opened a small studio that specialized in child portraiture. One day Carter happened upon a photograph his mother took and was immediately inspired by her use of light. Never before had he thought of experiencing light in such a way; that it could be captured so poetically. Thus began his delve into photography and all things Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Paul Strand, as it was they who inspired his generation.
Upon moving to New York and meeting his wife, Carter became frustrated with his inability to “see;” he had not yet “found his own eyes-his unique way of seeing” and was still taking versions of photographs of everything that had been done before. After attending a film festival in Galveston where he saw Horton Foote speak, Carter became suddenly aware of his calling. He realized that the importance of everything he’d learned in the past-about photography and its history- need only be applied to the most ordinary of things. He understood the “symbolism that registers not so much in the intellect, but rather resonates in those deeper and more authentic chambers of the subconscious.” He felt that at that point he could legitimately and truly photograph.
Carter’s first book From Uncertain to Blue both features and documents his travels around 100 Texas towns where he was only allowed to take one picture per town, upon a pact with his wife who gracefully documented the trip. This journey forced Carter to observe, utilize and take pictures in ways he’d never had to before. He became confident in his own abilities and became aware that he could take pictures anywhere, at any time and under any circumstance.
Carter’s pictures resonate of memory and emanate dusty, dream-like qualities. He prefers a blur to his images and achieves it quite unconventionally—by doing everything wrong. He works with a field camera that allows him to swing the focus between the subject matter and foreground/background. At first Carter’s images seemed to have been shot by a lens baby, but after researching more about his process, it was obvious, yet intriguing to discover that he uses a certain camera, from which I was weirdly enlightened.
When not using this camera, he will focus on a piece of the image that isn’t the direct subject matter. For instance in his piece Firefly, two boys stand in a creek holding a glass jar that is alight with the fireflies they’ve caught. Though, Carter focuses on the magnolia tree in the background, as it is a staple of southern identity. The image in general reminds the viewer of when they were children. They’re not telling the viewer things they didn’t already know, but resurfacing those things we’ve all known at some point, but have just forgotten. There is optimism in Carter’s work that is refreshing and while I find myself entangled in the simplicity of his conceptual means, I find that I am dealing with much of the same things. There is, and has always been, an underlying hope in my work (through the nostalgia and pessimism) to gain a better understanding of myself. My work not only relates to Carter’s in its aesthetic, but in its concept (though opposing) as well as in its intent.
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