About Edward Dorson
I have an academic and professional background in both fine and applied art, which I have taught as well. Most of this work is sculptural; particularly in direct metal and carved stone. My commissioned work includes several monumental pieces as well. An example of my large scale work, entitled "Sentinel," is on permanent display on the corner plaza of 65th St. and 3rd Ave. in NYC.
When I began diving in 2000, underwater photography quickly became a growing addition and, ultimately, a prominent pursuit in my artistic endeavors and overall growth as a person. I'd describe my sculptor's eye as a key asset to my photography.
In diving, I can call upon a sculptural vision based on a background in forming 3 D objects. I can manipulate my physical self inside another 3 dimensional world, ever changing with liquidity and incredible creatures. Once down under, the physics of diving also introduces a heightened state of being completely in the present while I'm free to place myself in nearly every point in space. It's like being sculpture: a dynamic of constantly defining my location - deliberately adjusting and extending with all the aquatic life in motion around me. Such focused movement pushes into the act of making the image. My body is in the process of being in composition when I'm underwater...any boundary of a static, 2 dimensional medium is transcended. I think that this kind of spacial awareness, of being while truly seeing, is a vital element in forming these images.
I'm also very actively engaged in environmental efforts to restore and protect the oceans. Most marine animals seem to quickly sense me as a benign creature, and are often quite approachable and inquisitive. My passive interaction with these species and the emotive qualities I can evoke from them within my photography also reflects my deep advocacy for people to revere the sea and its inhabitants.