Elizabeth O’Connor

Elizabeth O’Connor at Gallery 444 PTown

Opening on Friday night.

Artist Statement

I found a quote on the internet that said, “If you want to learn what someone fears losing, notice what they photograph.” I am a photographer who cannot stop taking pictures of the landscape: sea, shore, trees, rocks, fields, and sky. I thought that I would be tired of it by now, but instead, I feel an increasing desire to capture all that I see. I think that I understand what that quote means to me. The landscape is life. To be a witness to my physical surroundings is proof that I am here! The landscape is a mirror for my life: constantly changing, evolving, and striving to survive and a constant reminder that I must live in the present.

My photographic journey started with an interest in mastering the techniques of black and white film processing and darkroom photo printing. My quest for inspiration and desire to apply my knowledge of film photography to my work in the digital darkroom led me to achieve a Certificate of Photography from the RISD/CE program in 2017. I continue to combine my love of travel and photography but I have recently discovered a new appreciation for all the beautiful places that exist in my own backyard that I call Rhode Island

I first discovered infrared photography back in my film days and I still remember how fascinated I was to see a picture of a landscape that had such a mystical and otherworldly look to it. I felt like I had discovered a secret that the landscape had been trying to hide from me. I recently rediscovered infrared photography in its digital form and I had my Fujifilm X-Pro 1 camera converted to use a super color infrared filter (590nm) which enables me to produce color or black and white infrared images. Although I continue to use my traditional digital camera, I have noticed that I much prefer the surprise and drama of the mystical images that the infrared camera reveals to me.

Website: https://elizabethoconnor.photography/