Tom R. Chambers Documents

"Good technique is necessary to attain a certain level of craftsmanship and competence, but more importantly, is the nurturing of the psyche to a level where the technique becomes second nature, so the subconscious prevails over the conscious (the physical doing). This is where creativity is found within all of us. Technique is only a means to that end, but many artists and photographers flounder, because they have become good craftsmen only, by mastering just the technique and not themselves (their subconscious). Once this subconscious comes to the forefront with a medium, the image or the incorporation of the image as a part of a whole, transcends the medium and becomes truth for its creator, the artist/photographer. In other words, the image itself or as an item, has no significance. What is significant is the artist/photographer subconsciously offering truth through the image or the incorporation of the image as a part of a whole to evoke viewer response and effect change, whe...

Mr. Chambers, at what age did you know you were going to be a photojournalist/documentary photographer? This is a difficult question to answer, since we really don't know until we either experience a particular situation or have some kind of revelation through exposure. I suppose I had a reasonably good idea or feeling when a friend of mine placed a camera in my hand in 1972. At that moment, the hardware (a Pentax, by the way) seemed to beckon me. It was as if I was six years old holding a shiny, red ball, and I had to play, play, play! And twenty-five years later, I'm still playing. As far as photojournalism or documentary photography, this didn't take effect until a couple of years later when I started immersing myself in photography books and attending exhibitions. This increased exposure turned my head or view towards making documentary portraits and street coverage. Since that time, I've done a great deal of this which has culminated in numerous exhibitions in the ...

Every person on this planet has a mother. This fact makes it easy to relate to Tom R. Chambers' exhibit,   Mother's 45s . The collection is one of the most powerful and heartfelt works that Avenue has had the opportunity to display. Just as exciting was the chance to find out more about the person who created it. Prepare to explore the consciousness of an extraordinary artist. How long have you lived in South Korea? This is my second time in this country ... a little over a year, now ... and my first time was for two years, 1996-1998. And the reason why I'm here now, and keep coming back, so-to-speak, is twofold: my wife is Korean, and her family lives in Kwangju (South of Seoul) ... married her the first time around ... and I'm extremely interested in Buddhism and currently generating documentary projects ... in particular, Popchusa ... a Temple near Cheongju. In total, I actually haven't lived that long in this amazing country, but long enough to use the aforement...