dicey adj.

risky: uncertain and involving danger or risk (informal)

short, dark-eyed, asian, and a dork.

Dicey's Artist Statement [June 2006]

`The first camera I managed to get my hands on was a JVC digital camcorder. Upon receiving my Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W1, I realized that making the switch from shooting a moving picture to a still photograph was going to be harder than I had anticipated. For me, the transition from video to photography put an emphasis on how powerful a motionless image can be as it captures a distinct moment with just as much feeling, if not more, as a series of moments recorded onto a tape. After personally experiencing this through the lens of my camera, I can now truly understand how a picture can be “worth a thousand words.” As I adapted to my new camera, I soon found myself focusing more on objects and scenery than people, and I believe that, as a photographer, that is where my strengths lie.

`As an artist, I prefer to be an observer rather than direct my subject. Looking over the past year, I recall that the only real piece of instruction that I ever gave any of my models was to “act natural.” I guess one could say that I would rather capture a story as it unfolds instead of constructing my own from scratch. I will take something as it is and then present it through my perspective. I’m more of a fly-on-the-wall type than an instructor who tells her subjects what to do. When it comes to experimenting with colour, I set no limits for myself. One set may be bright and have a lot of contrast while another set may have faded colours or be in completely black and white.

`Nature—particularly water, flowers, and animals, are my subjects of choice. Street photography, especially Downtown Toronto, also strongly holds my interest. Now that summer has rolled around, I find that I am being drawn towards insects and bugs in general despite my minor fear of them. I believe that, through my camera, in some cases, I can go beyond what I’m normally capable of and thus come into contact with a whole new outlook on the world around me.