The Grottos

This abstract image is of the grottos ice cave located in Colorado just west of Independence Pass on Highway 82.  I was there for the first time in 1990 and made this image. While the image looks very abstract, it is closer to the actual representation of how the cave environment appears.  In making this image I knew that it would require a long exposure on Tri-x film as well as a fairly small aperture to insure a sharp plane of focus.  I used a Zone Vl view camera with a 90 mm lens.  I visited this cave in the fall time when there was very little water to deal with.  I would have to assume that other times of the year this location could be filled with water or ice.  I enjoy finding these locations where the light dances off the walls and is reflected back into the shadows giving a complete range of tones revealing detail in the highlights and shadows.  To handle this contrast range of the scene, I overexposed the negative and then under developed it to reduce the overall contrast range.  This image was scanned from a darkroom print and does not represent the true quality and luminance of the actual print.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5186868.pdf

Angel Wing

In the mid 80's through the early 90's I made several visits to the slot canyons in the four comers region of the Southwest.  My first few trips into the slots were magical.  At the time only a handful of  people were visiting these locations and I had the place pretty much to myself.  I made a return trip about ten years later and was surprised that the canyons had turned into a major tourist attraction.  The first trip I made into the canyon, I had my thirteen year old son with me and we hitched a ride in the back of a pickup truck with a local Indian girl and her newborn.  I gave her a few dollars and she offered to return around 4 pm. to pick us up.
The most successful photographer to make photographs in the slot canyons is Bruce Barnbaum.  He is one of the first photographers to venture into the numerous slot canyons of the Southwest.  His work is spectacular and all of it done with a large format camera. Another great photographer that spent years photographing the Southwest was Eliot Porter.  His work with dye-transfer color is unmatched by any print process to date.  I made this image in Lower Antelope canyon in 1994 using a Linhof 4x5 view camera.  It is the last trip I made into the slots in that area. I continued to seek out new narrow canyon locations to photograph that were less visited.  Often times I would be hiking alone and venturing into these remote locations can be a risk.  I always tried to keep my enthusiasm in check as I start my early morning climb down into these canyons.  It is easy to lose track of the time and the distance hiked when in the canyons.  After a few fool hardy mistakes I developed a strategy of four hours hiked in equaled four hours back.  So in the winter months I would be making my return trip around 1 or 2 in the afternoon to be out before dark.  There is always the urge to see what is up and  around the next corner and to push it a little too far.  A few times I found myself struggling to find my exit out of the canyon in the dark.
The Southwest of the U.S. is a remote area of intense beauty.  It is easy to overlook the danger that can exist when exploring this region.  It is important to have a "get back to safety" plan in place before heading into the rugged canyons.

http://www.barnbaum.com/barnbaum/Home.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliot_Porter

Dunes before sunrise

Being on the dunes at Mesquite Flats near Stovepipe Wells before sunrise can produce the opportunity for some interesting images. With the anticipation of the sunrise it is easy to overlook the soft light that exists in the first few minutes of daylight.  It is fun to photograph numerous times in a location and to come away with a different look. I also like the color version of this image because of the amount of blue light that is found in the shadows.  Often times the dunes will appear as orange but in this early morning light they can have an entirely different color cast. Death Valley is a place that I can never seem to get enough of. It is a rugged and empty land with a constant changing light. It is one place that can make several different looking images just by revisiting a location at different times of the day.

http://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/stovepipewells.htm

Edward Weston Pepper #30

                   Edward Weston Pepper #30

    Edward Weston Nude

This most influential photograph for me in my early days of photography was Edward Weston's Pepper #30. It was this image that showed me photography could be done as an art. I discovered my interest in photography in the 60's and at the time there were not many resources available to learn from. I would spend my free time at the public library reading all I could about photography and studying the works of the master photographers. One of the first photographers that I discovered was Edward Weston. I was struck how he could take very simple subject matter and transform them into sensual shapes and forms. His image of the pepper #30 had the biggest impact on me, and still does today. Weston described the way he photographed as "to see the thing itself".  I could relate to this simple yet powerful message represented in his work. I learned that the simplest interpretation of a subject is often the strongest statement. When I am composing a photograph I start by looking for distractful things I can eliminate from scene just by changing my position to help isolate the thing of interest. The other important thing I learned from Edward about composition was understanding the principle he describe as "form follows function" first used by Frank Lloyd Wright with regards to architecture. If you study these two photographs you can see how very simple the subject matter is, but how powerful the images are.  I believe it is important, espically for beginners, to study the work of great photographers to understand how photography can transform ordinary objects into works of art. 

Mexican Street Photographer

We came across a photographer in San Juan Del Rio, Mx. He was in the city jardin standing around near the water fountain hoping to take portraits of people visiting the park. His simple camera was an old battered polaroid that had a piece of cloth covering the bellows to keep the light out. It is how he makes his living and probably the only equipment he has. I spoke with him for a moment and asked to take his picture. I could tell he was uneasy seeing me with my modern digital camera. After walking away I realized I should have asked him to take our picture and paid him the price for his work. It would have been a simple thing to do and I regret not doing so. I am reminded of this every time I look at this picture. 

Head in the Clouds

We all at some point walk around with our head in the clouds dealing with our thoughts of hopes and dreams, worry, or just a general preoccupation of an on going event in our lives. We fail to completely listen to others while they are speaking because we are more concerned about what we are going to say in response. We are inpatient in our vehicles because we feel our time and space is more important than the person in front of us. Because of our human existence and physical body, we are locked in our little center of the universe. We can easily relate to things or events outside of ourselves if we have experienced them. We can say we understand, but if we haven't experience it ourselves, then how can we truly relate to it?  It is a tug of war that wages in us all, dealing with self while being genuine in relating to others.
I made this photo while walking around in Mexico with some friends. I am use to the puzzled looks I get when I am making pictures of things considered of little value. I found this mannequin intriguing because of the half face and what I felt when I saw it.  It is my interpretation of the term, "an empty suit".

Winding Roads

I enjoy the freedom to roam and drive off the beaten path. It is a privilege to be able to explore areas in the comfort of an automobile. I sometimes have to remind myself how fortunate I am to be able to travel in a comfortable seat and have the ability to control the climate of my vehicle with a touch of a button. Consider the fact that travel has been a hardship for most all of history. It has only been the past few generations that has had the ability to move about as freely as we currently do. We all complain about heavy traffic or a flight being delayed, but what is that compared to what people before us had to endure just to travel a small distance. We have spent a lot of time in Death Valley and have experienced many of the extreme weather patterns of the region. We have been there in 115* temperatures, experience dust storms, and felt the blast of a winter storm. In each case the automobile was the safe haven to provide protection from the elements. This image was taken in Death Valley in Mule canyon.  As we drove this winding dirt road through a spectacular landscape, I was very aware of just how fortunate we are to be living in a time that enables us to travel for recreation and personal enjoyment.