Charles Ford, raised in Houston, Texas, earned a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin. During his junior year, Charles seized the opportunity to travel to Bolivia, photographing the work of a student medical group. Post-graduation, based on the strength of his work in Bolivia, he was accepted to ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California where he earned a BFA. Charles moved to Dallas, Texas in 1980 where he shot fashion and portrait photography.
In 1981, he was invited to teach photography at The University of Texas at Austin. Following two semesters teaching at UT, he relocated to New York, where he continued shooting fashion and portrait photography for magazines such as Vogue, GQ, and Rolling Stone. Whenever on the street, always with his Leica M6, Charles pursued his profound passion for street photography.
After a decade in New York City and the birth of his daughter, Charles returned to Texas in 1992. He continued shooting fashion and portraits. Fast forward to 2023 when Charles revisited the contact sheets of his street work from the 80’s and early 90’s, rediscovering images that had been stored away for years, he began printing and sharing these captures of the past on his website and Instagram. Charles Ford’s work, present and past, is all shot on film
Statement:
My passion lies in finding often unrecognized moments of everyday life, from the mundane to the humorous. I am fascinated by human interactions and how they relate to their surroundings. These visual narratives of amusement, occasional alarm, and poignant reflection, are everywhere, happening continuously and occur simultaneously. I seek to capture those fleeting moments of humanity, moments that exist and then fade away.
