Artist's Statement
Be Still For a Moment
Beauty, through the eye of the beholder, may be defined countless ways… Defined by me, human or nature, beauty is a wild freedom, it is Earth’s wilderness and ever-changing landscape.
I could gaze at beauty forever. Often, I experience moments in nature that I wish could be eternal. In this respect, I guess you could say, photography is a way for me to bottle moments and live them over and over again. I am a lover of life. I have a fascination with watching and absorbing every bit of the seasons as they change.
In April 2012, I went on a backpacking adventure with my brother which set my wheels spinning, or more like shot me out of cannon, for the path I am on today. Realizing the possibilities of immersing myself in the backcountry, and the experiences that come with, I have become passionate about our National Parks and Wilderness areas. There is nothing so calming and rejuvenating to me as to completely surrender to the whim of nature, to breathe in and live in each moment. When I am out there, I feel like a child with new born eyes at every little splendor.
From Winter’s quiet snowfall and comforts, to the energy and excitement of Spring in bloom, to the long, luscious days of life peaking out in mid-Summer, and to the crisp Autumn air with leaves on fire… I simply cannot ever get enough of the sights, smells, and sounds of the Earth.
My photographs come from an experience that has spoken to or touched me in one way or another. When I am out backpacking/hiking/camping, I feel such a connection to everything. I lose myself, yet find myself in the experience. We have places left to go to where our cares are washed away and immediately we are at peace. My heart and my passion lay in not only exploring these forests and mountains and oceans, but that my images and my words may help protect them for future generations.
On my adventures, I hope to bring back photographs that not only capture a moment of nature’s beauty, making it eternal if you will, but also that tell a story of life’s beauty as well.
My Process
I am a huge enthusiast for film and more traditional photographic techniques. I believe transparency film, such as my favorite choice – Professional Fuji Velvia – when used in larger formats(2 ¼ in., 4 x 5 in., 8 x 10 in., etc.) creates an incredibly detailed and brilliantly saturated photograph to work with for big print enlargements. And most importantly, for me, it is the process of film photography that I feel a strong attachment to and is thusly an incredibly important aspect of my artistic process.
That being said, I currently work primarily with a Linhof Kardan Large Format 4x5 View Camera. After beginning my photographic journey with my Olympus OM2000 and 35mm film in my early 20’s and more recently having used the Mamiya RB67 Medium Format system for approximately 5 years, I absolutely love working in large format! The technicality involved and patience it commands force one to slow down and make better decisions. The end result - unbelievable detail in what is truly a work of art. Ultimately, I would love to work with huge 8 x 10 gear and experiment with panoramic photography!
From Film to Print –
I, one day, dream of being able to have my own studio from which I can completely produce my photographs from, step by step… For now, though, I have to outsource for a few steps due to the expense of some of the necessary equipment.
Once I expose my film, I ship it out to be processed and upon receiving the transparencies, I make my selections and then ship those images back out to be professionally drum-scanned using a Howtek Drum Scanner for optimal highest quality resolution for big print enlargements.
I only have them do a raw scan, though – I feel it is extremely important to do the color work myself! I work on each image, adjusting the color balance, contrast, and saturation levels to get the image as close to the transparency as I can. I do not enhance or manipulate my photographs, my goal is to show you exactly what I saw before me at the time of exposure.
Once the images are print-ready, I send them directly to the lab to be printed on Fuji Crystal Archive Lustre paper using a LightJet Printer. The LightJet uses lasers to expose your file onto a sliver-halide (wet) chemical paper, allowing one to still produce a true continuous tone photographic print.
Archival Quality and Framing
If you are buying prints from me, I like you to know you are getting a high quality, archival piece of art.
The paper – Fuji Crystal Archive is top amongst photographic paper, with a 70+ year rating. Each print is hand-titled with number notation and signed by myself.
Matting – I use Crescent Select Conservation and/or Museum Rag and Suede Mat-Boards. This line of Crescent’s boards is pH buffererd to be acid-free and is rated to last more than a lifetime(hundreds of years) without discoloration. I hang my prints from the back of the mat-board, no dry-mounting is done, so as not to lose value to the art.
Glass – For my framed pieces, I use only Tru-Vue Museum and/or Conservation Clear Glass. The Museum is the best out there, treated for 99% UV protection and providing unbelievable clarity/anti-reflection. Well worth it’s price, it allows for beautiful, natural viewing of the artwork while protecting it too! For a much more affordable price and still protecting the artwork, Conservation Clear also provides the same 99% UV protection. It just doesn’t have the clarity of Museum Glass, yet better than standard.
Custom Framing
Currently, all framework I have on display are custom hand-made from lumber by my father and I. After a couple years of not being wild about the framing options I had been using, I got the notion of talking with my father, who, lucky for me, happens to be a highly skilled wood-worker! Each frame, I design and no two will ever be identical, thanks to the uniqueness of wood… My favorite wood to work with is Curly Maple(Sugar Maple with beautiful “curls” across the grain), as well as Cherry and Walnut. All are hand-rubbed with oil after any coloring/staining processes. One I truly love – the aquafortis technique of rubbing a water acid into the wood and then burning the color into it. It is an old Indian technique taught to colonial settlers in gun-making. Loosely translated, aquafortis means “loud-water.” We have created several unique looks/styles and I tell you, you won’t find frames like this anywhere! As a way to further add value to and accentuate each photograph, this envisioning creates artwork within artwork, and I feel they make a wonderful match!