About- Who, What, & Where

"Thou Shall Not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth..." (Exodus 20:4)

	Hi there, my name is Jeff Morris and for all intents and purposes I am Graven Images Photography. I currently reside in sunny St. Petersburg Florida with my wife Denise and our cats. The above Bible quote sounds pretty silly by todays standards. In our modern world we enjoy a wide variety of artistic expression free from religious dogma. It is in spirit of that irony that the company was named. Photography for me is the perfect Zen experience. It makes me see the world around me instead of blindly moving through it. As for my work, I am hardly a purist. As we no longer use pin-hole cameras and since darkroom tricks existed long before Photoshop, the frequently heard complaint "...Is that the original or did you do something to it?" carries no weight in my book. Even the famous Ansel Adams took flack about his burning, dodging, and other darkroom antics. So I guess I'm in good company. Although I love “talking cameras”, the equipment and techniques I use are not my primary focus. The image and how it makes you feel is the ultimate importance. As of early 2004 I have gone digital and I must say that I love it. Furthermore, I refuse to get involved in the digital vs. film debate. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. In preparation for my first exhibit I was required to write an artists statement. Finding most of them boring and pretentious I decided to sum up my feelings about photography in the form of a haiku, my favorite style of poetry.

I sincerely hope you enjoy my work.