Life has taken me to unexpected places, and I guess it has been those odd twists and turns that have most influenced how I view the world through my camera.  I definitely have an attraction to the broken, abandoned and left behind.  I look for beauty in the everyday and in unexpected places.  I like photos that are authentic- with the exception of conceptual shoots, I don't often choose to alter a scene, even if it is less than perfect.  I like less than perfect, or maybe prefer it.  I love images that tell stories- or at least the kind we look at and think we see a particular story within.   Most of the time we don't know what the real story is, but I love that photos allow us to freeze moments and give us the luxury of examining each visual detail at leisure.  We can put ourselves into the frame; we can speculate, imagine, unravel, relate, wonder. I like quiet images.  I believe color is always part of the story, well, almost always.  I also love a simple portrait.  I love images that give a glimpse of something more below the surface.  I love that putting together my images of strangers and friends and places and things and light and moments, all these seemingly divergent images in one place has revealed a connection.  Exploring that connection to see what it ultimately unveils is a big piece of what pushes me forward.    

                                                                                Jamie Campfield Bates