Jim Cregan Art Photography

"I had thought to call my work 'The World Within' to make it clear that these photos are, despite photography's always implied claims to representing reality, very much of a world mediated by my own experience, values and perceptions. At the same time my photos do attempt to describe the extraordinariness of everyday objects, events, relationships, landscapes, and so on, with a directness that is one of photography's greatest claims to legitimacy.

I like the diversity and variety of the images also. It reinforces my commitment not to exclude anything from consideration, while perhaps de-contextualising the images just a little bit, hopefully making the viewer's response a more intimate and personal one.

It is because of this desire for intimacy between the viewer and the image that I only print using the old 10 x 8 inch (A4) format. It requires the viewer to look closely at the images rather than simply having them as wall-paper, as attractive as they might be as art objects in themselves.

But in the end it is up to the viewer to respond as they see fit, to make their own judgments – my own concerns are taking photos, because that is what I do. And they must stand by themselves."

Jim Cregan is an Australian photographer whose work has variously been described as insightful, compassionate, subtle, creative, and fresh. He lives in Perth, Western Australia where he also works as a garden designer, teacher and writer. It is the almost continual immersion in landscape in its many forms, underpinned by extensive studies in philosophy and theology, which he cites as his most significant influence.