When I photograph, I strive to achieve a level of order in a world of apparent disorder. I find form and simplicity beautiful. I find that simple yet sophisticated compositions give me as a viewer a sense of comfort and confidence that there is some order and logic in the world, that the world is not wholly filled with chaos and unpredictably. I don't operate using a snapshot mentality. I like to spend a lot of time with my subjects, hoping to find greater meaning or appreciation that can be captured and shared through an artifact known as a photograph. I find that the beauty of the photographic medium is that it forces the practitioner to question the very way that they see. I seek to provoke questions like "What is it that we truly see in front of us," and more importantly, "How can I qualify and quantify my experience so I can share it?"

Simply put, my photographic and teaching philosophy is this: help yourself and others to see—see what others do not, see in a way others previously had not, or expound upon ways of seeing that have been previously exhibited by others—and then share that vision with others. In other words, I believe photography is a form of teaching. It is the ability to critically analyze the world and translate our observations visually onto paper so that others may appreciate or learn from our efforts, or at least be able to broaden their perception of the world as a result.

TRAVIS LOVELL