Ralph Lee Hopkins - Artist Statement
I didn't set out to be a photographer. Photography found me-it was an outgrowth of my love of landscapes and background in geology. After college I moved to Utah and acquired a used 4 X 5 view camera, a Graflex with a 120mm Schneider lens. Having only one lens taught me about composition. And learning with a cumbersome large-format camera taught me how to be selective. I then photographed my way through graduate school at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, studying geology in the Grand Canyon. I also progressed through medium-format and 35mm film cameras. This fundamental experience continues to influence my work.
Today, I shoot almost exclusively with digital cameras, while still keeping my images true to the moment. I spend about six months each year teaching and photographing in the world's wildest and, I believe, most beautiful places. My favorite location is Baja California, with the juxtaposition of desert landscapes and rich marine life in the Sea of Cortez. I also travel year after year to the Arctic to photograph polar bears, and to Antarctica to be in the ice with penguins. But I still find peace in the magical landscapes of the American Southwest. My two recent books, Hiking Colorado's Geology and Hiking the Southwest's Geology, have brought me full circle and back to my roots, a profound experience. For me, photography is not just an art - it is a way of being and connecting with the natural world.