black_&_white 2009-01-16T13:17:56Z Nothing dresses up a room with as much class as a black and white photograph. While I take great pride in, and have real affection for my color work, color too often gives too much information. However, in a black and white image nothing interferes with the direct experience with the light and forms within it. Like most photographers, my early work was all in black and white, and the only prints I made personally were black and white, except for a few platinum-palladium prints and my Polaroid manipulations and montages. Then, as I did more and more travel oriented photography, or rather as more and more of my art was generated while traveling, I slipped into working almost exclusively in color for the last two decades of the last century. Today, about 2/3rds of my work is in black and white. My art has always been about light and form, and so this return to classic black and white photography is only natural. 2 1 bosphorusbridgebw.jpg 2009-09-25T23:55:45Z visual_commentary 2009-09-12T16:00:11Z In one sense every single photograph is a visual commentary. From the classic work of Steichen, to the incomparable work of Doisneau, to the pioneering documentary work of Bourke-White, to the masterful visual reports of W. Eugene Smith & Salgado photography has frozen moments that allow us to analyze moments both unique and mundane. Like all modern photographers I have been influenced by these masters and more. Most, but not all, of the images in my portfolio which consciously portray idiosyncrasies of life are concerned with the relationship between Man and Nature. They are images that have attracted me by what they say about us now, in the era of megalopolis, and the general encroachment of “civilization” upon undeveloped areas. Much of my work is travel based and all of it reflects my childhood introduction to the power of photography in the golden years of Life and Look magazines. 14 2 whence2kashgar.jpg 2009-09-28T16:17:08Z patterns_&_abstracts 2009-09-10T15:25:23Z No matter what the image the original attraction for me is the light and the shapes. This has resulted in an array of abstracts and patterns, and a multitude of photographs which no one will ever see. But every artist has the failures and near misses, yes? I define the term “pattern” as an image of a known subject such as “Peppers” or “Window Study” whose composition speaks to the arrangement of the subject or the illumination of the subject. The term “abstract” I define as an image is completely concerned with the light and shapes within an unknown or difficult to identify subject such as “Burana Tower Interior” or “Bali Dance #24” There are, of course, always patterns or abstracts that suggest a thought or a subject not actually themselves. Such are the images in my oldest ongoing series, Arboreal Abstracts. These are images found in tree bark. You may read more about them in particular in that separate category. 12 3 reflection30.jpg 2009-09-28T22:36:41Z arboreal_abstracts 2009-01-16T12:54:40Z It is human nature to try to discern something known from things abstract. I find the same flight of fantasy in tree bark that others find in clouds. As the angle of gaze, the light, or the area of focus shifts, the rills and ridges metamorphose, often in very sensual ways. These images are from my oldest series. I began taking pictures of trees and bark in the 1990’s. I have stopped giving titles to these images, preferring to let people share what they see within rather than impose my vision upon them. Often we see alike, but it is not unusual for someone to point out a view that was not my impression. I am always open to share my interpretation when asked, however. 1 4 bark26feline.jpg 2009-09-25T23:56:49Z urbanscapes 2009-09-12T15:57:28Z I began using the term Urbanscape in the mid 1980’s, and noticed its use by other artists in the early 1990’s. That does not by any means indicate that I think I coined the term. It merely reflects how natural a term it is to label photographs that have been created for generations by artists throughout the world. I will not repeat here my interpretation of a landscape. That may be read in the description of that category. But the reflections generated by Mylar exteriors add a whole new dimension to the images of 20th and early 21st Century cities. The concept of an urban reflection and how the view off the reflection generated by the glass or polished surface is an old photographic concept. But the reflections off the Mylar and mirrored sides of skyscrapers and concert halls add a whole new dimension. Consider two images: “Where are you from?” which is found in the Archives category, and “Urbanscape Sky” which is included in this category. The first was captured in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The window of this corner store’s display case reflects both the objects directly across from it and the cattycorner view, at the right time of the right overcast day. I hope you will start your enjoyment of this image with the contrast of the central figure and both the trees and the family residences brought together in this reflection. The second was captured in Hong Kong. Here we see the building itself as well as its neighbor and environment all merged by the Mylar and polished granite to present this commentary upon the nature of Nature in the modern urban environment. I was going the use “Reflection #30” which is a part of one side of a multipurpose building in Seattle, Washington as my example, but my webmaster has pointed out that there is enough sexual imagery in this site without using it in this description. 13 5 urbanclouds2.jpg 2009-09-28T23:10:34Z landscapes 2009-01-16T13:21:35Z What is it that has drawn people to landscapes in art for centuries? It is not primal. The earliest art forms from pre-history to Pharaonic dealt with people and events, not places and atmosphere. In Occidental art it is not until saints needed a natural looking environment that depicting Nature can even be considered part of a composition; and on Oriental art it is not until the Sui Dynasty which bridged the 6th & 7th centuries in China was Nature used as a subject matter. Initially, it seems that Nature became a more popular subject as our living places became more isolated from a natural environment both by size and grouping. So we began to decorate objects and walls with images of Nature, and the further we isolate ourselves from the outdoors and natural environments, the more we appreciate representations of Nature. No wonder the industrial revolution brought the birth of murals of harbors and bowers, and the 60’s brought room sized wall papers of forests and beaches. While I am certainly no Leland Forester who has dedicated himself to follow storms in order to more perfectly capture the color of Nature and has well deserved acclaim as a landscape photographer, I do take pictures of landscapes. It has taken me a while to realize that the landscapes I compulsively create are not flukes of travel, but rather that at times I am a landscape photographer. However my landscapes speak more to lines and light, and to Man’s & Nature’s relationship than to preserving a natural moment in particular light and physical scope. Well, you may judge for yourself. 6 6 sunrisechanggou.jpg 2009-09-29T23:14:15Z special_places 2009-09-12T16:05:58Z There are some images in my portfolio that really do not fall into any standard category. I have traveled throughout the USA and to 42 countries. Every single place I have ever been has been an inspiration, in various ways, and has yielded images that either are still in my portfolio or were until sold out. From Alaska to Cappadocia to Botswana to Uzbekistan there have been some images which just have so much unique to the place that they are neither true landscapes nor portraits, and are certainly not abstract. To understand why “Sahara” or “Samarkand”, for example, would not fit into the landscape section, read my description/commentary on that category. You will see that I have stretched a category’s parameters for some images in this group, and they appear elsewhere as well as here. A good example would be “Fes #8”. The only thing I can say about that would lead to a discussion of a “type A” person being an artist, and right brain – left brain synergy. 15 7 boatsessaouira.jpg 2009-09-30T15:34:04Z people 2009-09-12T16:07:24Z While the portrait has always been the heart of people pictures, in my portfolio more often people are at the core of the image’s subject matter. And that suffices. To completely enjoy “Siesta” you should read the poem by Li Bai that is written on his fan. It is: DRINKING ALONE WITH THE MOON From a pot of wine among the flowers I drank alone. There was no one with me -- Till, raising my cup, I asked the bright moon To bring me my shadow and make us three. Alas, the moon was unable to drink And my shadow tagged me vacantly; But still for a while I had these friends To cheer me through the end of spring.... I sang. The moon encouraged me. I danced. My shadow tumbled after. As long as I knew, we were boon companions. And then I was drunk, and we lost one another. ...Shall goodwill ever be secure? I watch the long road of the River of Stars. 16 8 berbershepherd.jpg 2009-09-30T15:47:20Z exotic_images 2009-09-12T16:13:03Z My passion for travel almost equals my passion for photography. In addition to my having been to places not yet on the tourist radar, I have had the honor and privilege to sometimes be invited to religious ceremonies, and special family celebrations. The results may not be unusual for someone from Indonesia, for example, but they will all be exotic to the American eye. 17 9 kecakdance16.jpg 2009-09-25T23:58:31Z archives 2009-01-16T13:20:01Z In this web site I showcase recent work, on the whole. In this section are older images for which only a few prints remain. If you are interested in any of these, please inquire via the “Contact Artist” button at the top of the page and I will let you know the details of what is available for that image. 4 10 lotus4.jpg 2009-04-25T21:48:01Z