Tom Haney: A Photo Essay

Most recently, I set out to create a photographic essay on an artist friend of mine Tom Haney (www.TomHaney.com). Tom repurposes combinations of found objects with original carved figures into story telling art pieces with an element of movement. His work is so clever and unique, it made him impossible to resist as the subject for this essay. I wanted to share what I know about his unique talents and allow people a glimpse into his world as he creates these one of a kind pieces. The story began with a scout, a sort of reconnaissance mission where Tom and I visited to discuss his current body of work. I recorded our visit in a loose photo-documentary way, grabbing shots freely with available light. From here, things moved quickly and with the assortment of images in front of me, I began to see my project. The first thing revealed in the scout photos was this - Tom has a lot of supplies and no shortage of tools. It's a craftsman's paradise and being that I too am a craftsman, it's more like a candy store. Over the years I've caught myself wanting to drop by just to sit in his little piece of heaven. Supplies, paint, tools, wood and treasure chests loaded with handpicked parts and found objects, many of which resemble art themselves. The abundance of visuals in his workshop, while wonderful, were also my largest obstacle. I had to corral the chaos into photographs with visual direction and meaning. Almost immediately, I saw and felt the story come to life in my mind and I got excited. Through illumination, I created intimate spaces within the larger space of his workshop and at times felt like a housekeeper, light as my polish to shine, and lack of it, a sponge with magic qualities. This technique worked beautifully and as Tom worked his wonders, I shuffled around him adjusting the lights and camera to capture the moment. These moments, tell Tom's story—an artisan of unique talent creating his own moments, a whittle at a time.

Digital photography, with cutting edge mega-pixel image capture, places huge demand on processing power. My camera rarely leaves the studio without my laptop computer. The laptop now serves as both my film and my lab—proofing, recording and processing images on the fly. Back in the studio, I meticulously retouch the images, again charging my processor with dauntless tasks on enormous files. I can't imagine reverting to ways of the past with the chemicals and waste of pre-digital photography. The laptop is an extension of my camera, vision and creativity. It allows to me to experiment in new ways, unbound.

Art

Gregory Campbell uses a laptop powered by  

Intel® Core™2 Duo processor