Artist Statement
My specialization is Literary Photography—the exploration of the human experience through non-verbal visual storytelling. I use the camera not to document facts, but to give voice to meaningful ideas, drawing deeply from the humanist tradition of masters like Atget and Cartier-Bresson. Aesthetically, my work synthesizes this human concern with the metaphorical and spiritual rigor found in the tradition of Minor White; I aim to “write poetry” with a camera.
Literature, it is said, does not just mark or pass time for its reader—it deepens it.
This is the core ambition of my photography: to create a space for philosophical pause and self-reflection that nurtures the spirit in a world of constant flux and chaos.
Each image is a deliberate negotiation of three essential elements: the subject, the composition (anisotropicity), and the quality of light. Like a short story, the photograph operates in the vital pages between the beginning and the end. I capture a single, finite moment against the backdrop of inevitable entropy, inviting the viewer to look beyond the frame’s limitations and complete the narrative with their own internal truth.
Selected Portfolios
Acquisition Inquiries
These images are permanent memories of finite moments, and are offered as silver gelatin darkroom prints for private collection. Please contact the studio directly for price lists, edition availability, and exhibition details, or schedule a private viewing.
All acquisitions are accompanied by a signed Certificate of Authenticity and a detailed statement of provenance.
Email: ira.gardner.photo@gmail.com
Studio Phone: (310) 692-5013