“I look for a trust in someone’s eyes,” says Florida-born, New York-based photographer Chad Moore. His work is genuine and open, sometimes graphic in nature, but at all times unabashedly honest and vulnerable. In his simplicity there is the talent that garners a viewer’s attention right away. His work has been exhibited internationally from Paris to Amsterdam, Berlin and New York.
His work could be seen as an ode to youth, but he insists that he is just taking pictures of the world around him – and as he gets older that world changes. “I think a lot of people’s obsession with youth has to do with the lack of responsibility that comes along with being young. As we get older we lose a lot of freedoms that you have when you’re a kid; you have to go to school, get a job, etc,” says Moore, adding, “Personally, I think that while you lose certain freedoms, and will always have some sort of youthful nostalgia, you can definitely gain things as you get older. There’s still plenty of adventures to be had.”
In the past couple of years, Moore has had three books published; Thirteen; Anyone In Love With You (Already Knows); and, most recently, June, which features over 30 images, mostly portraiture with some skyscapes, arranged by colour and bound with an elastic barb so that each page can be removed and used as a poster.
Prior to lending his hand to photography he was a pro BMX rider who started riding when he was around 10-years-old and at 16 he began gaining sponsors and riding pro. In fact, it’s BMX that got him into taking photos. On trips he would borrow a camera from his BMX photographer friend and start shooting the places they would go. “BMX really shaped who I am today. It gave me the opportunity to travel the world from a really young age. Moving to NYC and starting to really focus on photos kind of put a damper on riding, but I still ride a bunch, but just not professionally,” he says.
In November, Moore’s work will feature in Antwerp at Stieglitz19. See more of Moore’s work here
