Donna Rocco
What makes black and white photography so important to you?
I love the drama of black and white images, and how they bring a
different feeling to the story. There is an amazing quality of
timeless in black and white photography. Shapes and shadows, lines and
textures. Black and white focuses your attention on the subject and
interaction within the frame. I loved shooting with Polaroid
positive/negative film. Making the exposure and waiting for those
precious seconds to expire, before you could pull back the positive,
and swipe it with the clear coating stick, then turn your attention to
preserving the negative. Photography has always been for me a labor of
curiosity and passion.
What inspires you to create photographs?
Life inspires me to create photographs. I’ve been passionate about
photography since my grandfather gave me my first camera at nine. That
camera changed my life, and the way I look and relate to the world.
Photos I create are bits of memories and history. Preserving places,
events and people with the camera gives me a great sense of joy and
connection to what is around me.
Photos provide the viewer an opportunity to trigger a visual moment of
time after the moment is gone. Each of us look at a photos and feel
and remember. We feel for a longing of a time gone by, or for a memory
that will be created again, and so a tradition is born. For better or
for worse, not every photo is beautiful, and neither is every memory.
Why is black and white photography so important to our future in the art world?
Black and white images are relevant and important in so many ways.
They keeps us connected to history, and to the aesthetic quality of
light and shadows. They provide a dreamy memento and remind us all of
where the connection of science and art began. The art world is all
about history. Finding ways of interpreting the past to allow for new
entries into the ever expanding encyclopedia of art.
