These images were all part of a series derived from documenting Anthony Scorza, a world renowned taxidermist who is located in Rochester, NY. These photographs not only speak to the art of preservation, but to an art form that is overlooked by many. The reason why I started this project was to compare the notion of shooting (as in hunting) vs. the notion of shooting (as in photographing). If you think about it the end result is very similar. With an animal the end result is stuffed, mounted, then hung on a wall preserving an instant in time. With a photograph the finished product is printed, framed, then likewise hung on a wall for viewing. They both become mementos in a sense, and preserve a moment in time that cannot be relived. Every time you click the shutter of a camera, you are inevitably both killing an instant in time, as well as preserving. As the photographer I became a visual hunter, preserving things in Anthony’s shop that spoke to the life of a taxidermist, paralleling his complicated life to the complex landscape shown within the imagery.
