Your Nikon Isn’t Everything

There is something that's been bugging me lately, and I must speak up. There is a certain connection with a better camera and art. I've been receiving some messages lately from artists in regards to my style. According to an opinion, quality of film equals better artistic value.

What? When?

You all know that my work comes from an iPhone 13 Pro Max. While I do wish that I had a better camera set up, unfortunately, we make do with what we have. And truthfully, why would I ever take my phone for granted? I'm lucky to even have this phone, and frankly, I'm growing tired of hearing other photographers/artists downplaying others. Art is what you make it, and in the business of horror, we aren't looking to be pretty, sexy, or even polished. Yes, you can absolutely make it whatever you want, but it's my belief that some of the best horror art I've seen has been the equivalent of a Burzum album. (Are we allowed to say that or no?)

Anyway, what's so wrong with grain? What's so wrong with dark, imperfect imagery? There are a multitude of photographers on the internet that possess a shitload of talent, and I'm by no means undermining their work. But, before a Nikon or Fujifilm camera became the grand standard of what should be allowed, there were people who were doing things with Polaroids and antiquated tech. One of the things that irritates me more than anything is seeing horror and dark art pages only choosing to showcase the "prettier" artists. Look, it's great; in fact, some are very good, but what about the artists that can't afford these types of equipment? I'm by no means referring to myself, by the way, and in a lot of ways I'm referring to some of the obscure artists I've seen who aren't being discovered. There is nothing more appealing than a grainy black and white, and a malnourished figure standing idle in a corner. Simple concept, right? It is, but my god, is it not the most delicious-looking thing in the world.

Any who, if you're a dark artist and you're worried about the quality of your film or photograph inhibiting you from being recognized. Fuck it. You couldn't be anymore wrong. If you don't believe me, look at Felix Velvet, whose style of photography and art resembles that of a 1930's asylum. I know, I know--I talk a lot about him, but he's obviously made an impression in such a way that I remember it. Dark art is not just about skill of photographer or how good you can photoshop--it's about conveying a certain emotion. If you're into dark art for creating a very clean, finished piece without as much horror, that's okay, but maybe you want a grainy, disturbing haint that isn't so pretty and more terrifying. There are so many facets of dark art that people truly can't come to appreciate because they finally started to use a better-quality camera. Pages on Instagram like thedarkpr0ject are very guilty of skipping over some of the best damn artists of this era because the pieces aren't heavily-photoshopped and polished.

I do use minor factetune effects on erasing my eyebrows and shit like that, but I do believe that an overly-photoshopped art piece loses its realism after a certain point. Part of the reason I got into horror SFX was because of films like The Void and the Fly because of their utilization of animatronics and SFX skill. I don't hate all photoshop artists, don't get me wrong, but goddamn...the arrogance of these artists is really quite disappointing. It's like the death metal guy and girls here in Florida shitting on everyone in Europe and calling them Nazis. Just stop it. For god's sakes, it gets to the point that you just want to punch them in the jaw and REALLY make some dark art. (Just kidding...sort of...)

Point of this diatribe, don't let these people with a 10k setup and an arsenal of lenses deter you from making some disturbing things. I'll let you in on this little secret: most hardcore horror fans really don't care for pretty; they want to see your dark, morose, fucked up works of art. So, with that being said, take your iphone, your Samsung, your disposable camera, whatever...and make people feel like they're watching and looking at something terrible.