Jackie Stevens Images: Total photographs taken to date: 1,289,707 give or take a few recently deleted.

An overwhelmingly daunting task when an Editor calls to request ten images of your best work.  From a previous portfolio review, my work has evolved while creating fine art documentary images.  Searching through thousands of negatives, hundreds of digital files, and finding lost images was different than I had imagined.  Rather than viewing the image for best composition and stunning light, the viewing yielded the thoughts of when the original image was actually taken. The exact moments leading up to the capture is how the image was selected. 

It's when everything cleared the precious four square feet of available space to slide in-invisible to anyone surrounded by pure silence.  The silence was the art being created, the thought process and the careful consideration to the finished product.  The connection between the two, with no interruption, no looking up or recognizing a photographer is there capturing the shot.

This is the only image taken during this brief encounter. I could have stayed, lingered and captured different angles. Here, this is the image I quickly envisioned; encapsulating the genuine feeling.  The location and place is unknown, forgotten-when I see this image I remember everything about the mood and nothing else.  I recall how incredibly silent it was, even with the humming of the ink applicator, there still remained complete concentration and deep silence.  The patience is what I remember right before I released the shutter-this is what I saw through the lens-I adored it, applauded it, and honored it-while taking it all in.  

This is how I go about choosing my best ten images in my vast library. 

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