O’Hara’s environmental portraits begin with the trappings of any given situation. The surrounding site is a significant player in his photographs, as are the experiences and the personalities who live or inhabit the space itself.
When composing his work he positions himself either at the eye level of the participants in his images or above and uses technical skill to capture the attention of the audience. O’Hara wants the viewer to be put in position relative to these narrative landscapes, masterfully directed by compositional and lighting cues into becoming an observer who know exactly where to look. He uses large-scale analog (film) or digital systems to be as precise as possible in retaining layers of the various elements of visual complexity, giving the viewer intimate and minute details of private encounters between the artist and his subjects.
Clients include Forbes, The Guardian Weekend Magazine, New Scientist, Wallpaper, The Walrus and Wired.