GS9: Thank you for sitting down with us. First things first, why don’t you tell our audience a bit about who you are and what it is that you do?
AM: Greetings GS9! Great to be here. I am a watch photographer, shooting for both commercial and artistic purposes. Photographing watches has morphed into what has now become my mashup watch art. My signature style is to take macro photography of every aspect of watches and clocks and manipulate them to become something different. I’ve been doing art like this since late 2015 printing directly onto aluminum plates instead of paper.
GS9: How did you fall into photography, and specifically photographing watches?
AM: I began photographing in high school where I shot some Matrix movie action figures close up. They looked like real people and it was my first taste of shooting in the macro world. I really enjoyed that at first glance your brain thinks it understands what’s going on, and then on second glance you learn you’ve been fooled. With my macro photography you see aspects of this tiny mechanical art that we call watches in a way your normal human eye can’t. I began attending RedBar gatherings in NYC and eventually found myself as the Art Director of the vintage watch reseller, AnalogShift. From there I’ve focused my photography almost exclusively on watches and now enjoy working with many top brands including Grand Seiko!
GS9: Watch photography has undoubtedly become a big part of collecting and the overall community. Why do you think that is?
AM: I think that with social media platforms that rely heavily on photo content it can really give collectors the chance to experience the details in a way that they might not get to see in person. When everyone can experience why a certain detail from a certain brand is special it creates an understanding that was previously much more difficult to come by. For instance seeing the insane reflection from a Zaratsu polished case can be difficult to experience outside of a showroom or direct brand advertising. When those details are highlighted from several prominent photo sources it allows collectors to interact in new ways with watches they may not be able to see physically in person.
GS9: You have a very distinct style to the way you photograph watches. Can you speak to your approach and what it is you’re trying to capture and evoke with your photographs.
AM: Every watch has its own unique details. I like to pick up every new piece and explore the details with my normal eye before looking closer. There’s a lot of intent in creating watches; from the designers to the watchmakers, each has their own unique signature. I want to bring an appreciation of watches to everyone. I want someone who has no real connection to the world of watches to be able to look at my photos or my mashup watch art and experience something from it, and to understand the importance of telling time with mechanical timepieces. If I can bring the viewer down to the level of the micro details, created by hand, then I am happy. In order to see everything with watches that I see, I have to say that I am a bit obsessed. I love watches and I hope others see that in my photography.
GS9: Members who attended our November event in NYC received a very special gift – a signed copy your original Grand Seiko 9SA5 mashup. Please tell us a bit more about the thought process and technical approach behind that work.
AM: When I am commissioned to create a unique art piece with a specific subject, a lot happens in my process. After creating unique photography of the subject I am much better acquainted with the details. I often spend time viewing the images and seeing what details grab me. With the 9SA5 movement, I continued a similar technique of viewing the architecture as something beyond a watch. The level that Grand Seiko goes to reference the art in nature is extraordinary, so I tried viewing the 9SA5 as a natural object that didn’t have boundaries. It’s the first iteration of this power house movement from the brand and I tried to reflect its inevitable growth within the art. It was an honor to be able to give one of my signature metal prints to everyone who attended the November NYC GS9 Club event!
GS9: Where can our readers follow you and your work?
AM: My art prints, photography, and future endeavors can be found on my website AtomMoore.com
