Artist Blog

Every week an artist whose single image was published by Der Greif is given a platform in which to blog about contemporary photography.

The first artist I'd like to share with you is Scott Alario, whose magical, heartfelt photographs create a mythical world around his experience of fatherhood. Shot on an 8x10 view camera, Alario's images are a dreamy mix of formal family work and a foray into the ecstatically magical universe perceived by his five-year-old daughter. His projects Our Fable and What We Conjure walk the line between documentary and fiction, where image-making functions as a way to connect with his children. I often perceive fatherhood to be an underrepresented theme in photography, and Alario's work, which he explains is motivated by his fear of failing as a father, provides a perspective that is seldomly addressed. If indeed the key to remaining a photographer for life is to photograph your life itself, Alario's work is a constant reminder to me of how successful and astoundingly beautiful that can be. I can't help but be hit anew with admiration for his command of the camera, either, remembering that it is shot on 8x10. As I grow increasingly interested in photographing people, this is an artist whose work I find myself returning to time and again for inspiration. For more on Alario's work and process, feel free to read these interviews on Vice and Time Lightbox, and make sure to visit his website to view the series in their entirety.