CHRIS KITZE

About

I have been making images for almost 55 years;  the focus has been color and the subjects include visually compelling objects, street scenes, landscapes, and people and the impact of technology on humanity and media.  Photos form a unique visual diary and when compiled they can create a worldview.

A camera is an extension of your eye.  No one thinks about what typewriter Hemmingway wrote with, but a camera has a lot more influence on the end product than a typewriter, I get that.  The camera itself is not that important, to the extent it can realize vision.   The same goes for photo rendering processes, including dye transfer, archival inkjet, Cibachrome and Carbro, backlit commercial displays among others.  The eye sees images differently, depending on the medium of capture and display -- these are choices the photographer makes.  

When digital cameras became available, they made it much easier for anyone who can push a button to take technically better photos, which allowed more people to easily realize their vision and that's good.  Today there are many great photos because the process has been liberated from the "photography guild".  

Having done group shows, portfolio reviews and with a few prints in various collections, I've decided to follow the example of Vivian Maier.  She was unconcerned with promoting her work and had boxes of negatives and prints -- only now her images are finding the wider audience they deserve.  This web site is a handy tool for me to look at the times and places where images were made and how I was thinking at the time and to share with others for their feedback.  Maybe something will catch your eye and inspire you -- please let me know.  That would make me happy.  Like Vivian Maier, this web site is my box of photos that I'm sharing with you.  The public will decide which photos will continue life into the future when they download, copy, print, use and re-purpose them. 

To that end, these photos are "open source" and they may be freely downloaded, manipulated, printed and reproduced for personal, non-commercial purposes, provided you link back to this site.  I don't use any watermarks or rights management because that's not in the spirit of Open Photography.  All I ask is for a link back, so someone who views them can find more.  The images are mainly taken in public spaces where there is no expectation of privacy, such as it is in this age of ubiquitous CCTV and cell phone surveillance.  For commercial uses, please send an email.  I've sold prints in the past and its possible I'll do this again.

Images on the site are organized three ways.  

1) as a diary of all photos presented in the order they were taken -- as if a stream of consciousness and you can see the thought process that came about to take a photo (which is just as interesting to the photographer as the viewer)

2) grouped into portfolios, which include topical selections of images from the diary

3) most recent photos.

I've used  Canon, Nikon, SONY, Leica, Pentax, Sigma, Argus, view cameras, underwater cameras, Polaroid, Kodak Instamatic, etc. -- my current favorite is a Leica Q2.  

"A better camera won't make you a better photographer, but you might take a better photograph."  

Enjoy!

CK