The images on this site represent a significant portion of my body of work over fifteen years of photographing in some of the wild places that I have known, and I am blessed to live in the Pacific Northwest, where so many of these scenes are just out my back door.
My photographic interests began with the "grand landcape" compositions - this is nature at her awe-inspiring best. The mountain ranges of the American west loomed especially large in my childhood psyche, and continue to provide a playground, and source of intense personal power and renewal in my life. So it started with the Earth, and later I discovered the wonders of water, air, and fire. The four elementals continue to shape my landscape photography, just as they shape and suffuse the world around us.
Although the spectacle of the natural world is apparent in the big-picture view, most of our immediate experiences are closer at-hand. Learning to see and feel the "intimate landscape" requires complete engagement in the moment, and a letting-go of pre-conceived notions and external burdens. Photographing wildflowers, for example, can be an exercise in frustration - or is it exhiliration? - when patience finally pays off, and the wind stops blowing just enough to trip the shutter. It's worth the wait for no other reason than to "stop and smell" the lupine.
I often find upon returning to photograph an area that I've visited before, that it takes some time simply being there, quietly observant and immersed in the natural flow, before I discover the Hidden Wild Image. Each place speaks to us in its own way, in its own season, adding immeasurably to our knowledge and wisdom. But one must leave the known, and venture into other times and places, in order to avoid those artistic ruts that result from becoming too comfortable in one's own skin or surroundings. After being away from a favorite place for a time, I'm amazed upon returning how newly inspired I am by what once seemed so familiar.
All of the photographs on this site were originally made with 35mm cameras, lenses, and film or digital capture. Slides are scanned and re-touched to remove any dust or blemishes on the surface of the film, and necessary digital corrections to color, contrast, and sharpness are accomplished in Photoshop to prepare the photograph for printing. With the occasional exception of a panoramic or black-&-white image, the photos are not enhanced in any way - nothing is added to, or taken away from the scene in the camera's viewfinder.
Some images lend themselves to the strengths of the panoramic format. These are produced by cropping and enlarging from a parent photograph, or by combining two or more adjacent photos from the same location. Black-&-white images are digitally converted from color to monochrome, and the result is often a more dramatic rendering of the scene, emphasizing light, shadow, and form. Both black-and-white and color photography now have long and distinguished histories, and tools available in the modern "digital darkroom" provide a means to move almost effortlessly between the two mediums.
Wildlife photography requires an entirely new suite of skills and techniques. Patience is still a pre-requisite, but waiting for an encounter is not enough. Much time is spent searching for the elusive animals. After a suitable subject is discovered - this rutting bull Elk for example - a careful approach to within a reasonable distance that won't disturb the animal, puts the photographer in position to get the shot, and still provides a margin of safety for both. The action can be fast and furious, and telephoto lenses literally "reach" their full potential here.
Finally, the photographer must wait for just the right moment when light, landscape, and the behaviour of the animal all come together to create, not just a picture, but a work of art.
There is a personal story of adventure and enchantment behind every Hidden Wild Image, and I hope you enjoy viewing these photographs as much as I enjoyed making them. And be sure to bookmark this site, and visit frequently for the many new photographs yet to come...
