HARVESTING LIGHT – Portfolio Number Four – Farm southwest of Eureka, Kansas. Photograph taken 1999. Late one September afternoon I came upon this scene. The field harvested, the barn full of hay, the silo standing as a beacon to the setting sun. The gleaming of light. The passing of day.
SEASON OF CHANGE – Portfolio Number Four – Undine Falls, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Photograph taken 2000. I had been staying in Gardiner, Montana. I awoke one morning to discover that a late September snowstorm had closed all but one of the park roads. The highway between Gardiner and Cooke City, Montana is the only roadway with in the park that remains open throughout the year. While exploring the region from Mammoth Hot Springs east toward Tower Junction I came upon this beautiful three-tiered waterfall. One could easily imagine the early travelers who first encountered this lovely site. The image required an eight-second exposure. The quality of light was flat and shadowless. A number four, contrast filter was used in the darkroom.
A WORK IN PROGRESS – Portfolio Number Four – Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Reversed image. Photograph taken 2000. The sun was low in the western sky, casting long shadows into the river canyon below. A twenty-two second exposure was required. Nature is always changing, evolving slowly, a true work in progress. By reversing the image the depiction transcends traditional photography, resembling a detailed pen and ink drawing. While some areas appear completed others seem simply sketched, as if a work in progress.
CRISS CROSSING NATURE – Portfolio Number Four – Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Reversed image. Photograph taken 2000. When I saw this newly burnt area my eye was drawn into a study of criss crossing lines and tonal contrast. We should all be reminded of the fragility of nature and our obligation as stewards of the land.
THE SEARCHER – Portfolio Number Four – Pilot and Index peaks, near Cooke City, Montana. Reversed image. Photograph taken 2000. I love a good metaphor and this image when read or interpreted tells an interesting story of an artist following his dream. We choose our path, we have doubts, gray areas full of apprehension. We encounter static or criticism from those who choose never to try. Through this we retain focus reminded of our higher goals. By remaining true to ourselves we may realize a higher intervention, a guiding hand searching for a conduit through which to speak. I believe that man’s spirituality is best expressed through his reverence for nature. This image required a twenty-two second exposure.
WYOMING – Portfolio Number Four – Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Photograph taken 2000. Sometimes I look for an image that depicts an area in broader terms. I generally avoid areas that are overworked by others. This image spoke of the vastness that was once the American west. The tonal patterns both in the foreground and in the sky provided repetition and balance. The sky itself seems electric. When I choose to work in a traditional Black and White approach there must be an inherent timeless quality.
A SUMMER WALK – Portfolio Number Four – Along the Fall River, Greenwood County, Kansas. Photograph taken 1999. This twelve-mile section of the Fall River lies within a state wildlife refuge. I have always enjoyed working with dappled light. The subject was naturally framed in foliage. I like the fact that the water is visible between the leaves in the foreground. The difficulty here was in the timing needed for a two-second exposure with a slight breeze following the river. This was my first subject photographed using a medium format camera. In many ways this scene reminds me of the philosophy evoked by the Hudson River Valley School of Painting. Nature for nature’s sake.
