Fine Art Photographer Stephen Rike
Hi. My name is Stephen Rike, and I’m a Dayton, Ohio based fine art photographer. For many years, I worked in private industry, while photographing where, what, and when I could. Photography has been a passion of mine for over 30 years, and if I specialize in anything it’s in capturing the world around me and also creating images that spring from my imagination. Unfortunately, many people think they have to leave home or go to exotic locations to make meaningful fine art photographs, but that’s simply not true. Subject matter is all around us if we can develop an acute eye, perception, and response.
The Difference
I believe the work being offered on this fine art photography website is different and special for a few reasons. First, there is a focus on the Dayton area, my home, capturing both the man made elements as well as the natural scenes that are all around us. Secondly, there are many photos here that are camera based, but are combined in new ways creating subject matter that is not in this reality, but comes from the mind of the photographer what I like to call “Other Realities.” Thirdly, in straight photography the strongest images, for me, seem to be those that are intuitively felt and responded to. You might say these images evoke something unconsciously or subconsciously felt, or maybe something subliminal, but in any case the photo is a symbol for that feeling or experience, and these are what I like to call “Equivalents.” The use of this term and the idea of expressing things symbolically is not new and was pioneered by photographers such as Alfred Stieglitz, Minor White, and Wynn Bullock to name a few, and I believe the concept and approach is still relevant today. Finally, there’s a section on abstraction, photographs taken just for the sheer joy of the color and/or forms in front of the camera.
I offer local high quality fine art prints produced on high quality paper so you can frame the image for display to enhance your office or home. Most other fine artists are either, non-local, much more expensive and/or only offer a digital format leaving you to do the hard work of printing. If you are looking for unique local art and want high quality work that you can frame for display, then you are on the right website.
So, welcome. Check out our store and browse around. If you have questions or comments, please feel free to email me, but most importantly enjoy your visit while you’re here.
Thanks for visiting….Stephen Rike