Ferd, Neighbor

My name is Robert "Ferd" Frank and I grew up in Affton, have a business in Crestwood and live in Fenton. I have resided in Fenton since 1992 and love to photograph in the area.

I've been shooting photographs and painting since 2000, self taught in both.  I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by many talented local artists which have been a great influence on me.  My painting techniques were developed by painting on art cars and watching others paint.  My photography began with the introduction of the digital age.  I became fascinated the use of Photoshop and various other programs for digital artwork.  My obsession with the camera came later, somewhere around 2005.

My early years as an artist were focused mainly on music.  I first played trumpet in high school, and my interest changed to rock & roll after the English invasion of the Stone's and Beatles.

I played in a local band, the Aerovons, that recorded an album at Abbey Road in 1969.  In the mid 70's I hooked up with John Cougar (Mellencamp), and recorded four albums with him as his bass player.

All of my images are taken from a gut instinct.  I see a beautiful moment, I react, and I take the picture, which can happen anywhere, anytime, and be any subject.  It could be magical light, an expression, a combination of color or shapes, a special moment in life ... 

I believe you need be in spirit of the image before the editing process begins to get the best results, otherwise the end product can turn out lifeless.  Some images are edited immediately after I shoot them ... others wait until the time and energy is right.

Much of my current work is High Dynamic Range (HDR),  a process which blends multiple exposures of the same image in special software.  This is what gives my images an illustrated look.  I put the final touches to the images in photoshop. I work intuitively, and let the process of editing the image take me where ever it takes me.  The final reward for me is the print.

I like to title my images to give the viewer an interpretive starting point and leave the rest to be interpreted.

My photos can be viewed at: www.ferdworks.com