I have been a photographer before I owned a camera; photography is about telling stories and sharing moments, and I hope to use my creations to share some of what I believe is important to me. The natural world is intertwined in my work because it is central to my own being as a person and a citizen of this planet.
A (brief) photographic background: I got started in the 1-hour developing world without any grasp of the technique or science of photography, the job fell into my lap, and I took to it immensely. Throughout college I worked in multiple areas of this photography industry, which really aided me in getting to know the nitty gritty of creating images. This work consisted of developing/printing film and digital images (mostly film, I was lucky enough to be in place as the digital revolution really kicked in) in a photography lab for 4 years, served also as a salesman for film and digital cameras, and taught, through the company, introductory and intermediate photography for 2 years. As I grew into photography, I craved information and experience beyond working on people's vacation snapshots. To help me, I took numerous classes on photography, mostly pertaining to darkroom developing and printing, both color and black and white.
Looking back at my time in the darkroom was some of the most rewarding of my photography career. I wish I had a facility that would allow me to continue to print my own photos; I'm sure I'd shoot more film. Having film makes the process, to me, a more visceral art. You are more hands-on, more interactive, than clicking a mouse while watching Photoshop algorithms process your image. (And as Annie Leibovitz says, "I think photography will always be chemical")
These days, with a technical proficiency pretty much down (and tiring of tech spec conversations with other photographers... they're all good cameras, 10MP vs. 12MP is not a topic of discussion), I've tried moving forward in finding a more concrete vision for my photos. Evolving, from "taking photos" to "creating images." It's not an easy process, and it definitely takes more input on my end in terms of vision, composition, and subject matter, but the end result will be worth it. Plus it gives me plenty of space to create myself.
This blog was started to help me with this growth, to keep me looking through my images, seeing which ones were worthy of posting to a general audience, and hopefully induce comments from viewers about how to improve, and see where it takes me. Also, with the day-to-day obstacles of work, graduate school, and getting by, photography is easy to let slip by the wayside. This is a way of attempting to avoid that slip.
I've had a unique fortune to travel for work and for personal experience. So far, my wanderings have taken me to four continents and nine different countries. I'm always looking to explore more, and daydream of where will be the next blue or red dot.
These days, with a technical proficiency pretty much down (and tiring of tech spec conversations with other photographers... they're all good cameras, 10MP vs. 12MP is not a topic of discussion), I've tried moving forward in finding a more concrete vision for my photos. Evolving, from "taking photos" to "creating images." It's not an easy process, and it definitely takes more input on my end in terms of vision, composition, and subject matter, but the end result will be worth it. Plus it gives me plenty of space to create myself.
This blog was started to help me with this growth, to keep me looking through my images, seeing which ones were worthy of posting to a general audience, and hopefully induce comments from viewers about how to improve, and see where it takes me. Also, with the day-to-day obstacles of work, graduate school, and getting by, photography is easy to let slip by the wayside. This is a way of attempting to avoid that slip.
I've had a unique fortune to travel for work and for personal experience. So far, my wanderings have taken me to four continents and nine different countries. I'm always looking to explore more, and daydream of where will be the next blue or red dot.
And what profile page would it be without a couple of inspirational quotes? So, some ponderings as I invite you to scope out the blog and tell me what you think.
- Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to the body and soul. - John Muir
- The power of imagination makes us infinite. - John Muir
- I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be. - Douglas Adams
