“My goal for photography is to explore the word ‘unique,'” Josh Reid, class of 2020, passionately shared with Wordsworth. Reid is Moorestown Friends School’s resident vision-seeker. His photography, drawing, painting, and digital art focus on MFS students. “The best way I could [explore the concept of “unique”] is to take pictures of people,” he explained, “Even though it’s the same face one would see almost every day, the pictures give a sort of vibe that what you see is someone completely different to the norm. They look more neutral, calm, natural, and I want to really emphasize this.”
What is the artistic motivation at play here? The answer is an almost scientific approach to photography: uncovering hidden characteristics of his subjects. Reid declared, “there is an entire school of people who have a side to them that isn’t expressed that people need to see.” The discovery of such idiosyncrasies motivates him to focus on the minuscule, human details. “I’m very particular… about where I want my art to go, and I can never settle for something lesser or below what my vision is [even if it’s minimalistic]. I always try to interpret what I’m feeling in the moment, what I see, what my vision is, and how to execute, all in the same instance. …It’s never a step by step process for me.” It is an approach to photography which mirrors real life. Through this method, Reid achieves real-life results.
Students may have seen his photography work on his instagram page or his exploration with other mediums throughout the MFS hallways. The photographer’s Instagram features many of his “human-focus” projects. Several of his favorite works include self portraits, experiments with strings of christmas lights, and natural light shots outdoors.
Two big projects are already in the works for the near future. The first is a school project, requiring him to pull “inspiration from someone else, whether it be a work of art, another artist’s style, or even slight imitation.” Reid plans to keep extra details of this project “under lock and key” but hopes its reveal will garner a significant reaction. “The second project, which is more of a concept in the works, is to try and photograph more contemporary, planned pictures.” He hopes the project will challenge him. “I want the outcome to be a mashup of the modern era and surrealism in a way, if you’re able to visualize the two concepts,” he excitedly explained.
Along with external visions, Reid hopes to convey his personal, honest expressions in his art and constantly push boundaries. The photographer optimistically told Wordsworth, “the only thought in my mind for the future is advancement, to progress. I’m perfectly happy where I am concept wise, but I want to keep going for the sake of improving myself.”
