About Harris, by Harris:
HARRIS J. SKLAR
I am semi-retired from the practice of law and now able to follow my love for photography with a greater passion than ever. Photography was my hobby as a child and for years I developed and printed my photographs in a small darkroom I built in the basement of my North Philadelphia row home. I have continued to enjoy photography throughout my entire adult life, but was never able to make the commitment of time that I currently have to more fully develop my photographic skills.
Although I never had formal art training, I do take advantage of every available opportunity to improve my proficiency in the art of photography as well as better understand and enjoy art in every format. In my photographs, I am able to see and give expression to feelings that have grown within me over the years and I have gained a new dimension in life enabling me understanding it better.
The play of natural light plays a critical role in many of the subjects I photograph, especially people. I look at every photograph taken as a reflection of something deeper than what appears on the surface, telling its own personal story. The stories they tell may be different to you than to me, but hopefully they will help you, as they have me, reflect on who and where you are in life.
Each photograph I print represents to me a journey into or a reflection of part or time of my life and in my attempt to incorporate this into my photography, I attempt to demonstrate the feelings I had and atmosphere that was current at the time the photograph was taken. By personally printing all of these photographs I have hopefully achieved my objectives,
Not too long ago I published a book entitled A Backstretch Journey for which I spent two years documenting the life of the “Backstretch” at Philadelphia Park Racetrack. The photographs and quotes in the book demonstrates a life never before revealed to the public. Arriving at the track 5:00 AM, the time life begins at a racetrack, I took several thousand photographs, many of which are in the book. The book and reviews of it are available at Amazon.com.
Over ten years ago I volunteered to teach photography at the Clara Barton Elementary School in North Philadelphia (the school I attended as a child) and there developed a program where not only do I teach children photography skills, but also to use photographs they take to help them develop basic skills they will need throughout life such as writing, public speaking, and vocabulary.
For over 14 years I have been a volunteer photographer of the Komen Race For the Cure in Philadelphia which raises money for breast cancer research and many of my photographs are used in Konen’s brochures and postcards to promote the “Race”.
My work has been featured in a catalogue of the Key West Literary Seminar and has been selected in numerous Juried Competition for shows at galleries and I have won numerous awards including International Awards from the Philadelphia Print Center and the Artstrom Gallery in Rome, Italy.
