Dimmitt Contemporary Art is pleased to announce Randal Ford: A Collection of Animal Portraits, an exhibition of photographs by Randal Ford. A book signing will be held Thursday, October 28th from 5-6 pm, followed by an opening reception from 6-8pm. The exhibition will be on view through Wednesday, November 24th, 2021.
Ford’s Collection of Animal Portraits features his acclaimed “Animal Kingdom” series alongside his most recent series “Good Dog.” This collection of intimate photographs captured by Ford showcase a variety of species across the animal kingdom exploring each animal’s personality and behavior. His objective is to capture simple, singular and beautiful portraits giving each animal the opportunity to elicit emotion and connect with its viewer. Ford utilizes a deconstructive approach to portraiture by isolating each animal on a stark backdrop focusing fully on the animal without distraction. Inspired by classic portrait photographers such as Richard Avedon, Ford’s practice highlights the essence of who a subject really is.
His unique process of photographing animals in the studio is exciting, challenging, and requires patience. Precise lighting and neutral backgrounds come together to create these timeless compositions. Each animal has their own personality and quirks that require quick reflexes to capture the perfect moment. In post-production, Ford uses dodging and burning treatments to subtly adjust the color and contrast of the image. These editing techniques, used by master printers in the darkroom for years, allows Ford to push the image into a soft and aesthetically pleasing composition. Despite Ford’s precise techniques and process, ultimately he releases control of the image to the animal to allow them to tell their own story.
Randal Ford (b. 1981 Dallas, Texas) is an Austin-based photographer whose works have appeared in two monographs published by Rizzoli, on the cover of Time Magazine, Texas Monthly and Communication Arts. Ford has been commissioned to create photographs for brands such as Anheuser Busch, Comcast, Frito Lay, LL Bean, Pepsi, Pfizer, Verizon and Yeti. Ford has been named one of the top 200 international photographers by Lüerzers Archive. His animal photographs were awarded 1st place and best of show in the fine art category in the prestigious International Photo Awards competition. Ford lives and works in Austin, Texas.
Established in 2013, Dimmitt Contemporary Art specializes in promoting the work of emerging, mid-career and established contemporary artists working in all media including painting, works on paper, sculpture and photography.