About the Artist

“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.” - Henri Matisse

Most of the momentous occasions in my life and in the lives of those I love have been spent in front of, or behind, the lens. It is difficult for me to experience a seminal event from any perspective other than that of the camera. Perhaps this is why I am a photographer, it is my destiny.

I grew up with vintage Polaroids, 35mm Minolta and Olympus cameras, and later my first Nikon when I went digital. As a youngster, I had my own darkroom and played with the whole development process. I loved to watch the image gradually appear. It was exhilarating. I can still smell the chemicals that permeated the room and my hands. I was dragged into digital kicking and screaming, but digital presents some outstanding opportunities to develop images in respects that are impossible with film. This creates interesting prospects for me.

I have always been a creative soul. I’m a pianist, cellist, writer, photographer. I have written all my life, and it is a relief to not have to put into words what I capture on film, or digitally, now. Inherent in this is the fact that my work defies second-guessing and judgments, unlike writing fiction or, in my life as a lawyer, a contract, a motion, a brief. There is a blissful absence of such components in my photographic work, and I appreciate and cherish this fact.

I hope my photography goes beyond the range of words, that it speaks to the soul, evokes emotions, offers moments of escape from the mundane, the daily stress, worry, and anxiety that are so prevalent in our society today. My work is simple, yet complex, offering you a personal and, at your option, private experience with my subject that need never be shared, or that may be discussed and dissected over a lovely glass of vino or all over social media. My work highlights the beauty in God’s world. Sometimes we overlook the loveliness because of the ugliness that confronts us. My photographs remind you that life can be beautiful.

“A good photograph burns an image in your mind and a memory in your soul. Sometimes I am taken aback by the realizations that surface in the details of a particular image, whether it is mine, or another’s. Photographs have a way of sparing no one and no thing from the intimate detail of the lens. I hope my images convey the subtext of life within them.”

Sarah Lee Gossett Parrish