Store Gallery for November 2023: Zack Aurand

Project Statement

The moments and moods that inspired me.

Artist Statement  

I have had an appreciation for photography since I was a kid. My uncle was a photographer and we always had a few of his pieces hanging around the house. I really started pursuing it in high school when I used my dads EOS 650 to take pictures of a 1965 Chevy Nova I had at the time. I bought point and shoot cameras over the years but, like most, my phone was my go-to until I started getting into photography seriously in 2021 after buying a camera to have a friend shoot my wedding.

I started taking pictures of the dogs, then started experimenting and found a passion reignited. Street, landscape shots camping, pets, random birds in the backyard turned into waking up at 3:30am on weekends to get out and scout for spots to take pictures of local wildlife at dawn. Spending the early morning hours walking around downtown. Driving out to scenic spots. Walking around the city at night experimenting with light. Being the introvert that I am, I came to realize that it was the perfect excuse to avoid people and hyper focus on a hobby that could be taken anywhere. I would see a shot driving into work and obsess for the rest of the day about how, “if I only had my camera I could of gotten the shot.” I started bringing it with me daily and would skip out on work as soon as I could. It became an obsession. It’s how I see the word now. I’m always framing shots in my head.

Thinking what focal length to get the composition I see. What aperture to get the right depth of field to isolate my subject. What shutter speed will get me a tack sharp image of the animals I’ve been watching for hours but still leave the motion blur of the rain soaking my sleeve hanging out the window. I’m thinking how I
would edit the images in my viewfinder. I’m always scanning fellow photographers work and applying what I liked to my next edit or composition. It keeps my mind occupied with the constant chase for that next exposure.

These images were created with Aurand's Canon R5 and R7. RF 100-500. EF 70-200 2.8 mkIII. EF 85 1.2. RF 35 1.8. Rented EF 400 2.8 and 600f4.

Stop by the Store Gallery for the month of November to see images up close.

---

Check out the images featured in the gallery below: