Artist Statement
Time lapse during dusk or dawn is an important factor when creating my environmental photographs. I choose to document during twilight periods because forms of light and color are strangely balanced, creating an ethereal effect. With the use of hand-controlled light sources, I can work freely within the setting and isolate subject matter so that other parts of the image remain in darkness and limit nonessential detail.
The primary subjects of my work are illuminated figures, which appear as forms of light that trace the human figure. I create these figures in an isolated studio space and composite them within the environmental photographs during post-production. They provide the human element but also become part of the landscape.
These manifestations of the figure exist within the confluence of a manufactured and a natural landscape. This is a peculiar space where environmental conditions seem to be in the process of deterioration. A push-pull situation occurs between the expansion of human development and the reclamation of nature. It is important for me to find meaning and understanding in this junction, because the territory is expanding.
About the Artist
David Christian Rehor received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography from The Corcoran School of Art, George Washington University, Washington D.C. in 1994. He currently lives with his family in Roanoke, Virginia, and is working on his Master of Fine Arts in photography at Radford University with the intention of teaching in higher education.
Mr. Rehor specializes in environmental portraiture and landscape work that focuses on human development and the reclamation of nature. For this work, Mr. Rehor is in the process of developing custom built light boxes to display his digital photographs. This is intended to compliment a philosophy that digital images must be viewed back-lit, since they are created and edited by monitor technology.
Mr. Rehor has also been given the opportunity to work personally with renowned portrait photographer, Judith Joy Ross, helping her print for an exhibition in Madrid, Spain. He is also assisting Ms. Ross in archiving her life's work for MoMA, the New York Public Library, and a book project to be published by Aperture.