Joseph O'Neill

Artist Statement

When we hear “black and white,” we assume that is all we see. My photographs utilize tones and shades of grey. This grey expresses and gives my work emotion and depth. It reaches into your everyday perception, and has you look differently at the world. Perhaps you notice that these everyday objects and scenes that were once obscure or common place are different and new and your perspective has changed.

New York City is my muse. It captured my soul as a child and has never let it go. For long periods of my creative life, the city has been my subject, and my work begins with the place. The place, along with the right moment and light, determine what I shoot. At different times of day and at different times of the year, the city has a unique look and feel. My photography exists in and because of these distinct times and places.

My photography offer an overlooked perspectives of urban life and showcase details of this reality. With a sense of drama, my photography offers a look at the world dramatically highlighted in sharp black and white geometrical forms with a clean and sharp edge. Employing contrasts of dark and light, I bring dynamic movement and a sense of shifting light. In an almost confrontational range. My aesthetic vividly envelopes the senses and invites you, the viewer to rethink the images of the world, encouraging you to enter this environment and experience a new view. New York City nourishes my creativity, and in return, I want to share what I love about it with the world.