Bedford Temple Door

"Every wall is a door" -Ralph Walso Emerson

"Sometimes we stare too long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open." - Alexander Graham Bell

I LOVE doors; I could probably do an entire collection of photographs consisting only of doors! This door is outside the gates of a magnificent temple in Bedford, NY called Shaaray Tefila.

I am intrigued by the symbolism of the door, how it projects a narrow view of the world, much like a camera lens; you simply can not see everything. I see doorways as portals of opportunity, as hope. I see them as the passing of one stage to another, whether from darkness to light, from one plane to another, from consciousness to subconsciousness, etc., I regard them as a transformation of sorts. In addition, I think of doors as the place to leave something behind, when one passes through- whether its one's fears, inhibitions, or prejudices.

Regardless if I'm photographing an image of a door to a house, a building, a garden, etc., my goal is for the viewer to think about the door as a symbol and not only wonder what's behind it, but to think about the doorways and pathways they pass through and those they avoid in their own lives.