Artist Statement

Digital photography, as an art form, is not unlike music: in the same manner one composes a song, one “composes” an image.  If music should say something to the listener, an image should also “say” something to the viewer.  One speaks of finding their “voice” to establish a style or a genre of expression – so in music, so with digital photography.  As a published, performing musician, I have found my muse; I have also discovered my photographic voice and style as well – Urban Industrial Imaging

My introduction to photography included a chance encounter with Photoshop on a weekend shoot with a Nikon D5100…and I have been captivated ever since.  I capture gritty, stark, surreal images depicting Man’s struggle to overcome his environment. These usually portray

machinery and/or large structures in appealing urban landscapes.  But I also render urban decay, with its own special bizarre allure.  Abandoned warehouses, bridges, buildings, “cityscapes”, planes, ships, trains or trestles…all snapped in full, raw detail.

As a child, I was always fascinated by large structures and machinery. One of my earliest memories are of living in Bayonne, NJ when at four years old I first crossed the Bayonne Bridge into NYC and saw my first “skyscraper”…it was an epiphany.  So when communicating my vision, I strive to photograph the subject from the perspective of a child – that is, from beneath, thus emphasizing the structure’s immensity and grandeur.

I have an affinity for black and white – color can sometimes be a noisy distraction, whereas the purity of black and white often preserves the original intent and vision I wish to convey.  That said, I shoot full-frame in both color and black and white. My technique is one of exposure fusion where I blend a series of exposures in post-processing.  Dense detail and contrast are my preference.                             

 

Biography

Frank’s education centered primarily in the sciences, with two years spent at the Air Force Academy, followed by another one and one half years at Rutgers University, majoring in the Biological Sciences with a minor in Computer Science.  While at Rutgers, he also minored in music and had the great fortune of studying Keyboard Harmony and Jazz Piano with the great Kenny Barron.  He has spent the last 30 plus years as a Software Engineer working on a variety of computer platforms, and for those same 30+ years Frank has also been a performing musician playing Latin Jazz.  Frank is a published author, and has his music played on a number of Jazz radio stations, including WBGO. 

Frank has studied photography with the likes of Charlie Borland, David Nightingale and a variety of other photographers via courseware, and currently studies with Nancy Ori.

He will be featured in an upcoming 2013 Gallery presentation with ASMP (American Society of Media Professionals). 

Professional Memberships

ASMP Associate Member

PFRE Member, Photography For Real Estate

Clients

New Brunswick Development Corporation (DEVCO)

Escandon, Fernicola, Anderson & Covelli Law Firm

Weichert Realtors, Freehold, NJ

 

 Photographs © Frank Villafañe

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