ACE PRESTON's Channel

The Photographer as a Revolutionary~Social Photography


"Never forget there is a vast amount of darkness for man to conquer..."

Ace Preston was an international freelance photographer out of New York whose art was directed into various issues of social awareness, human perspectives, and the preservation of landmark structures & historical locations.
Described as the photographic extension of Francisco Goya, Jackson Pollock, & Norman Mailer.. compared as the modern day version of Mathew B. Brady & Robert Capa, Ace Preston was your typical Hemingway anti-hero always shunning the spotlight, refusing to blithely cash in on mainstream fame or demand.

Ace Preston chose a pseudonym in lieu of his birth name thus creating an anomaly as he deviated from established rules and trends.. He felt pseudonyms being fictitious names mostly associated with authors, actors, singers, revolutionaries, and organized crime figures fit his profile well.

His style of writing focused on doublespeak or euphemism which was a substitution of an agreeable or less offensive expression in place of one that could offend or suggest something unpleasant to the reader or in the case of a substitution of a description of something or someone rather than the name, to avoid revealing secret or sacred names to the uninitiated, or to obscure the identity of the subject. Some of his euphemisms were intended to be funny.

As an urban legend his collection of works did not occur exclusively in so-called primitive or traditional societies but advanced modern cultural vectors. There was a cautionary element of mystery, horror, fear, and humor mixed into his art.
To further hide for instance the plausibility of his "Death Camera" he deliberately hid information regarding the incident to include names, dates, and locations which lacked specifics. In turn this stigmatizing myth was used to describe things that were widely accepted as untrue by allowing more efficient investigations into this social phenomenon.

Preferring not to have his career as a social scientist affected by too much personal attention he remained independent and private in his research and life choosing to keep his anonymity. He almost reached a level of folk hero but because of his genuine distaste for publicity which he believed was inappropriate for a scientist he avoided the limelight.

Always faced with impossible situations he saw as great opportunities brilliantly disguised he often landed on treacherous shores off islands other ships avoided thus discovering new worlds.. his life stood out as a gospel of self-forgetting humanitarian service.
He could have added fortune to fame but cared for neither finding honor and integrity in protecting historical landmarks and endangered locations.

Ace Preston's supporters were stunned by his sudden disappearance during the final Battle for Bangkok on May 13, 2010. Many refused to accept the rumors that he was killed preferring to believe he had gone away.
Without him rebellions in the world soon increased. His death put an end to his ideas of land reform, preservation of natural resources, advancement of scientific research, and fair treatment for the poor.

The Center of his World was New York City where he did most of his creative work as a social scientist.

There was no doubt that Ace Preston was a military genius and knew where to go and when. Wearing A "blood shirt" in Chinese character which read:
'"This foreign person has come to China to help in the war effort. Soldiers and civilians, one and all, should rescue and protect him", he escaped to China to regroup his forces after being betrayed by the new administration of the communist/capitalist government of the USA on June 24, 2011.

After missing for over one year and believed killed, Ace Preston resurrected himself, departing China, returning to Thailand to aid in the flooding efforts, and with the resumption of the Wall Street Protests in New York, decided to head back to the USA and establish a 'National Redoubter' to create the unit known as 'The Black Berets'.

His passion was said to be for the good of the people, without concern for personal gain or even his own life or death. His tireless contribution to society was praised by many. As long as something benefits mankind, Ace Preston will pursue it.

His pacifism led him to travel from one crisis zone to another throughout the world's ravaged landscape of Warring States especially during the Arab Spring, trying to dissuade rulers from their plans of conquest.

In November 2011 after Ace Preston had been threatened by the traitors and liberals of the US government, he informed it's leaders that his disciples had already trained the soldiers of Chengdu in his methods, so it would be useless to even challenge him.

Ace Preston's moral teachings emphasized self-reflection and authenticity rather than obedience to ritual. He observed that we often learn about the world through adversity. By reflecting on one's own successes and failures, one attains true self-knowledge rather than mere conformity to ritual. Ace Preston exhorted people to lead a life of asceticism and self-restraint, renouncing both material and spiritual extravagance.

Like Confucius, Ace Preston idealized the ancients of Chinese mythology, but he criticized the Confucian belief that modern life should be patterned on the ways of the ancients. After all, he pointed out, what we think of as "ancient" was actually innovative in it's time, and thus should not be used to hinder present-day innovation though Ace Preston did not believe that history necessarily progresses, he shared the critique of fate.

Ace Preston believed that people were capable of changing their circumstances and directing their own lives. They could do this by applying their senses to observing the world, judging objects, and events by their causes, their functions, and their historical bases for testing the truth or falsehood of statements.

Ace Preston tended to evaluate actions based on whether they provide benefit to the people, which he measured in terms of an enlarged population, a prosperous economy, and social order. In many ways paralleling Western utilitarians, Ace Preston thought that actions should be measured by the way they contribute to the "greatest societal good for what we have agreed to in a social contract." With this criterion Ace Preston denounced things as diverse as offensive warfare, expensive funerals, and even certain types of music which he saw as serving no useful purpose.

Ace Preston believed that all living things live in a realm ruled by the Forces of Nature and the Spirit World which has a will independent from and higher than the will of man. Ace Preston's ideal government advocated a meritocracy based on talent rather than background, also followed this idea.

Ace Preston's departure from Asia led the Nu-Revolution in New York to total failure

One without the right political concept is one without a soul

Ace Preston had returned to the USA to find a nation in distress..

Now.. many years later, 13 classified missions, 64 enemy contacts, 7 suicide attacks, thousands of rounds later, and still undefeated.... Ace Preston Returns..

Ace Preston believes that "NowPublic" is the new bastion for freedom of speech, the press, & expression in the modern technical era. "It's internal structure permits contents to be developed, added, changed, or deleted were as the printed material becomes permanent lacking in flexibility and changes in ideology."