GARY BEEBER
Gary Beeber is an award-winning American photographer and filmmaker who has exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the world. He has had numerous solo photography exhibitions and his documentary films have been screened at over 150 film festivals. Pfizer Pharmaceutical, Goldman Sachs and Chase Bank are Fortune 500 companies who collect his work.
S T A T E M E N T
Places
I am drawn to subjects I find to be incongruous, and have been told that I see things that others don’t. The images I capture speak to me in a variety of ways, fulfilling an insatiable curiosity about the world and everything in it. I gravitate to subjects that seem odd. Sometimes I’m reminded of a long forgotten connection, or find something that appeals to my sense of humor.
As I photograph, I make adjustments to the composition and perspective. I also think about how the image will look printed on paper. Sometimes I get what I want in a few shots, sometimes it takes longer. I use digital cameras because I like immediacy. The camera I use most often is a SONY Alpha 7 II, I also use an iPhone 11 Pro Max. My software of choice is Photoshop.
I like to come back to themes and have been continually working on each series for years. For me, it’s exciting to see how things change over time and some others disappear altogether. I prefer quiet places where I can spend time thinking about each subject without interruption, but that’s not always possible, so I go with the flow. Some places I know about and some places I find by happenstance.
People
At a recent solo exhibition of my “Personalities” series, a psychiatrist introduced himself and told me that he felt that I capture who people really are.
Fascinated by people’s stories, I find subjects who push convention, driven by self expression, to be especially captivating. My background as a producer documentary films and of an Off-Broadway variety show, Gotham Burlesque, led me to have intimate access to many such compelling people.
My curiosity seeks out unique people and my earnest acceptance of them allows for a mutually engaging encounter. I provide the audience, and their bold demonstration reminds me, and my viewers, of our common human wish - to be seen.
SAD BRIDES
One summer day I came upon the flower fields at Hungry Toad Farm (Centerville, Ohio) and was taken with how each flower was covered with a silken net used to protect the flowers from predators. I thought how loving it was to care for each individual bloom. I also quickly reflected on the brevity of life, a flower quickly dying as a gift for a bride’s special moment and the eventual passing of a beautiful woman within the implacable cycle of life. Perhaps, these images are also a series of self-portraits by proxy as I contemplate my own demise and life cycle.
Slide show
When we moved from Sag Harbor, NY to the Midwest we found the perfect house but the pool slide was not to my liking and the first thing I wanted to do was to get rid of it. Who knew it would captivate my imagination and provide the impetus for my next photo project? Over time the slide morphed into an art object and became my muse and metaphor for suburban life.
To View a list of Gary's artwork for purchase through the gallery