Artist Statement
My fine art photography is rooted in a love of form, both natural and man made, and the visual impact that can be created when form is made to evoke emotion. Emotion is my subject matter while object matter is the form. If there is no differentiation between these concepts, then it is not fine art photography. An architectural form is silent in the literal sense of the word, as is a landscape form. The only way they can speak beyond their natural presence is for the artist to mold and shape them to coincide with vision. My goal is to amplify inherent qualities in forms to create images with heightened emotion and visual presence — to make images that are removed from reality as far as possible without compromising the essence of the object matter. I force the viewer to reconsider what they are seeing in my images where they have moments of confusion, an emotional reaction, and finally to achieve clarity and understanding of the essence of what they are viewing. I create fine art images where the viewer's opinion of reality is challenged and surprised. I believe fine art photographic images must evoke a vivid emotion on the viewer, while at the same time embedding a dramatic impression in the mind and reaction that lingers long after they are viewed. Process Statement
To create my long exposure images is a labor, always loved and often aggravating. They are marathons, not sprints. This is not by choice but rather by necessity. The techniques I employ are both time-intensive and time-tested. I pay attention to the smallest of details. Remove one small distraction and the image doesn’t change, but remove hundreds of small distractions and the image becomes clean and the subject is given enhanced presence. Each of my black & white images covers every zone to varying degrees, typically with two zones peaking. Since the viewer’s eye is drawn to areas of greatest zone separation, I use the Zone System to force the viewer to look at areas of an image that I want them to. These areas of greatest contrast combined with very subtle tonal gradations define my images and the emotion I wish to convey.