Artist Statement
This statement refers to my observational work made in public space.
My work focuses on often overlooked moments of everyday life, from the mundane to the quietly humorous. I’m interested in human interactions and the ways people move through and relate to their surroundings, especially when a moment feels mid-story and unresolved. By isolating these fleeting instances, the photographs invite viewers to complete the narrative themselves. The work centers on moments that briefly appear, then fade.
Bio
Charles Ford is a Houston-based photographer whose work spans public-space observation, fashion, and portraiture. Raised in Texas, he earned a BBA from The University of Texas at Austin. While a student there, he traveled to Bolivia, photographing the work of a student medical group—work that later contributed to his acceptance to ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, where he received a BFA.
After graduating from ArtCenter, Ford taught photography in the Art Department at The University of Texas at Austin before relocating to New York City. From the early 1980s through the early 1990s, he worked in New York, photographing fashion and portraits for publications including Vogue, GQ, and Rolling Stone, while also developing an extensive body of observational work made in public spaces.
After returning to Texas in the early 1990s, Ford continued his professional practice. In recent years, he has revisited and printed previously unseen work from the 1970s through the 1990s, presenting it alongside ongoing projects.
All of Ford’s work is photographed on film.
C.V.
2025 Critical Mass: Top 50, Duncan Miller Gallery, Los Angeles
2025 Deck the Walls 2025, Catherine Couturier Gallery, Houston
2025 Exhibition winner “In The Blink Of An Eye”, Belfast Photo Festival, Belfast, Northern Ireland
2025 Solo Exhibition “Fleeting Narratives”, Kolga Tblisi Photo Festival, Curated by Teona Gogichaishvili, Tblisi, Republic of Georgia
2025 Center for Photographic Arts - “Members' Juried Exhibition”
Juror: Allie Haeusslein
2024 Solo Exhibition - "Strangeness of Life", Houston Center for Photography, Curated by Anne Massoni
2024 Center for Photographic Arts - “International Juried Show”, Juror: Elizabeth Avedon
2024 SXSE Gallery - “Call the Dogs!”
2024 PhotoPlace Gallery’s juried exhibition, Portrait: Self and Others, Juror: Aline Smithson
2024 Shortlist - Center for Photographic Arts - “Members’ Juried Show”, Juror: Catherine Couturier
2024 Jurors’ Picks - LensCulture, Art Photography Awards, Selected by Yuri Yamada, Curator Tokyo Photographic Art Museum
2024 PhotoPlace Gallery’s juried exhibition, “Monochrome”, Juror: Henry Horenstein
2024 SXSE Gallery - “40 Over 40”, Juror: Elizabeth Avedon
2024 DAB Arts - Art Quarterly, Winter 2024 Issue + Exhibition
2023 Gold - Budapest International Foto Awards
2023 Shortlist - Center for Photographic Arts - “International Juried Show”, Juror: Shana Lopes
2023 Winner “Life Framer Award” - Humans of The World,
Juror: Martin Parr
2023 1st Place - Outstanding Achievement in People “18th Annual Black & White Spider Awards”
2022 Praxis Gallery “The Portrait”, Juror: Sandra Chen Weinstein
2022 Finalist - LensCulture “Street Photography Awards”
2022 Honorable Mention “17th Annual Black & White Spider Awards”
2022 Nomination 17th Annual Black & White Spider Awards - People
Clients:
Rolling Stone
Esquire
Vogue
Newsweek
Men's Journal
New York Times Magazine
Stern Magazine
Smart Money
Fast Company
Business Week
Money Magazine
Manner Vogue
ESPN Magazine
Texas Monthly
Nike
Head Sports