Artist Statement
Photographing wild places often puts me in contexts that induce feelings of awe, reverence, and humility. The impulse to share such experiences is compelling, and photography is my way of communicating, not only nature's diverse beauty, but the intrinsic value of unaltered landscapes and wilderness as a whole. Besides attaining technical and artistic merit, I hope my images will inform those who have never been, and remind those who have been often, that wild places are also a source of spiritual sustenance whose protection is imperative and whose destruction only diminishes us.
Landscape photography is a lot like fishing or hunting for arrowheads -- the greatest investment is in time and the success rate unpredictable. I try to spend enough time in favorite locales or make repeated visits to learn the rhythms of a place and how the light plays upon it. Not only must a subject elicit an emotional response, it also needs to be photogenic. My 4X5 camera outfit is heavy and cumbersome at best, and taking a picture is a project in its own right. The process forces me, however, to evaluate each shot and composition carefully. Ultimately, photographic opportunities are like precious gifts and fleeting treasures, where luck is as important as skill. I sometimes think of my photographs as journal entries, simple celebrations of insights gained afoot and afield.