Evan Abramson

Why I do

Photography — and increasingly, video — are tools that I use to express the ideals that I value as a human being; and to measure the distance between those ideals and the reality of the world that we inhabit. The distance is enormous, and ever-expanding: and so, photography is a tireless task.

I grew up in a comfortable, conservative-minded home, where little interest was paid to the lives of others, those born outside the fold. Our preoccupations were directed inwards, toward our studies, social lives, vacations. Keep the house clean, don’t trust anyone that isn’t your family — in short, avoid strangers and be afraid. As a response, I turned myself outwards, with a hunger to experience the lives of people living across the breaches of the planet and society. Perhaps this has also served as an escape.

My father, my mother, my brother, aunts and uncles and cousins: they are my audience. I imagine them, their attention spans and interests. If I can get them to look at my images, to want to see more, perhaps even to care or adjust their lifestyles a bit, and accept the responsibility of being a member of the global community: I have succeeded then, in my storytelling. I have communicated something beyond beauty, the exotic or simple awe.

My images are driven by a burning, sometimes obsessive, craving to communicate with people who appear stuck in an abysmal state of crisis or injustice — and to serve as a bridge of understanding between them and my audience. Armed with still imagery, sound and moving pictures, I strive to awaken minds and senses, and pull the viewer out of their shell and into the world beyond.

Once I have someone looking at my work, now I must try to get them to care about the story and the situation that is taking place. I do this by educating myself as much as possible about the issues I am covering, and tying them through my images, to the universal experience of being human — in particular, the truth that most of us have the ability to change something.

I do not attempt to be objective in my work. We live in a time of great change and imbalance. Humanity’s negative imprint upon the planet is unprecedented. The chasm between the haves and have nots has perhaps never been wider before. With the accessibility of technology, injustices occurring across the planet have also never been more widely known of and reported. While corporations and monstrous private interests largely determine which images and stories are allowed into the realm of mainstream public consumption, the Internet has demonstrated an infinite potential to alter this sad state of media affairs. I find it increasingly depends upon the creativity and invention of the storyteller/imagemaker to reach their audience directly, and swiftly stimulate their curiosity to see and hear what has to be said.

I want my work to provoke thought and feeling accompanied by action. Beyond strong images, something should be learned. These stories that I share with you are a call for change, and to question the status quo. I want people to see themselves in my images, and to look inside themselves when viewing my work.