In my last couple years at Salem State College earning my Bachelor’s degree in Art, I began to question my personal definition of a photograph. In the beginning, I prescribed to the popular premise that digital photography is inherently inferior to its film counterpart. Thus, I emphasized traditional film subjects in my studies and honed a passion for studio portraits, location portraits, and particularly landscapes. However, as graduation approached, I rethought my niche in a crowded field. That is when I began to delve into the realm of abstract photos—pushing the boundaries of digital manipulation techniques to the extent that some of my traditional photographs became totally new images in their own right. I began to evolve them to such a level that one might challenge whether these images were still photographs. Although my formal studies are complete, I continue to probe my philosophy. At what point is an image no longer a photograph? Is there a threshold, which once crossed, turns a photograph into something else? Should digital and film photography be considered two entirely different disciplines—the drawing and painting of photography? Of course I still take satisfaction in creating the perfect portrait on a sunny day or finding my work hanging over someone’s desk; bringing the defining angles and crisp air of a rocky hillside indoors. Growing up around Boston, with the ocean and mountains so close, it was easy to stay enthralled in the visual arts. To me, photography is a way to capture both the real and unreal, to remember moments that have happened in our past as well as a tool to visualize the events and images that are beyond our comprehension. - Jason