Perry Slade randomly discovered these shoes on a woman waiting at a bus stop! Scroll down for more of Perry's images...
Artist: Perry Slade
Medium: Photography; GFX 100 -- Fuji film system
Town: Aurora, IL
Perry Slade has a unique way of describing his photographic training – “auto-didactic”!
Yup, self-taught, and he’s done very well at it. He has a keen eye for interesting subjects others might easily miss no matter how big or how small.
For instance, take the young woman standing at a bus stop wearing the image of tomato soup can labels on her shoes. She graciously agreed to let Perry take a snap of them. He chose to share that image in black-and-white which makes them all the more unique and memorable. Whether to use color or black-and-white, Perry uses his natural instincts to guide him into which approach tells the story best.
As far back as he can recall, he always enjoyed drawing. In his early twenties, he discovered the camera as a perfect tool to continue his journey of image-making. As his photography interest grew, he began reading more about it and learning skills from other photographers.
To Perry, imagery is all about the story behind it where he uses his camera to convey mood and message as acutely as any writer using words.
“Everything is of interest to me – I get excited about it all,” Perry says. “I look at everything all the time like the shadow patterns of trees on the wall of a building. I ask myself, why am I doing this? And deep down it’s a way to connect with people. It’s like saying, “Look what I did –this is what I feel – do you feel the same? Is this what you see too?”
He enjoys capturing urban scenes to landscapes to creating still life. Most of his shots are what he describes as deliberate and not accidental. He always has his camera with him and enjoys capturing the character of things in different lighting situations.
Perry accepts commissions and assignments such as photographing parties or events. He turns many of his images into bookmarks or fine art posters available at the Aurora Historical Society gift shop, Yellowbird Bookstore in Aurora and his website. Prints of his images are also available.
“I knew that retirement would never be a challenge for me,” Perry observes. “Doing photography full-time has always been my plan.”
Perry is a member of Naperville Art League, Water Street Studio Artist Collective and Tall Grass Arts Association.
Learn more here: Zenfolio | Photography
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EXOTIC
IMITATION OF LIFE