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ASHLEY ACTON
Ashley  Acton

This is what it looks like. That’s the best clue I can give you about what I photograph. Every time someone asks me what my favorite subject is to take pictures of, I tend to stumble over my words and end up sounding like I don’t really know what I’m talking about, and then I remember that I don’t know how to talk about it. I don’t think it’s due to my impaired speaking abilities. I tried once to use fancy words like “new-fangled” and sound smart, but I think I intimidated the people that I identify with. So I stick to the simple words, like “green". I think that sometimes it’s better to explain things with words (and images) that everyone can understand, no matter what your education, age, race, or sex. We can all understand because we are all human. Complicated issues can be broken down into simple ideas that are easy to identify with, and simple to grasp. Things happen in this world that don’t make any sense, that can’t be relayed with words. The act of photographing is a coping mechanism. I use simple visual symbols and arrange them to illustrate intricate ideas that can’t be explained verbally. I’m interested in the moment when an unspoken understanding is made; something that switches on in the brain when everything just... fits together. So, this is what it looks like.

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