The thing had some heft to it when held in the hand. Every knob or latch, when manipulated had that crisp, mechanical feel and sound and it produced an image just as precise. But that was roughly 30 years ago. It was a Minolta 35mm SLR. It was a prized possession and an outlet for my creative instincts.
I had barely mastered the basics of film photography when the digital age arrived. Uncharted waters, but not for long. What an opportunity, once realized. A boon to anyone with an urge to experiment and a budget that didn’t include endless rolls of film, developing or a darkroom. In the end the basics remained the same. Your eye and your hand control the outcome. But for this particular group a precision of image is of no matter. A precision of moment is key.
I have portfolios that include architectural, landscape, nature, people, etc. And I hope to display those eventually on this site. While there are many excellent examples of standard photography out there, (indeed I have my own favorite collection), there is simply a lot of it and much of it looks the same. I wanted to go in a different direction. The technique I have used to produce most these images has been the result of two years work. The word “work” should be interpreted loosely. This has been much fun. But it is a process and it continues to evolve. What it has yielded, is what some have described as digital photos that look more like paintings. A form of “kinetic photography”, if you will. The evolution of this idea led me to choose either a photo rag or German etching style paper on which to produce the “kinetic style” images. While the computer images of these are impressive, the transfer to this type of paper enhances them even further. It is a good marriage.
This particular group is composed primarily of images from a porfolio entitled Autumn Road. But it also contains images from “Synthesis in Ice” and a yet to be determined series. These range from representational, to somewhat impressionistic to boldly abstract. Collectively, Autumn Road represents one person’s interpretation of the brilliance of autumn. Individually these images could be totally unrelated to any one theme, open to the viewers interpretation. The ice shots are strict interpretations of an amazing flow of ice. I have not formally titled the pieces. That should be at the viewers prerogative. The images try to grab not only color, but the unique natural light available. I hope you find them evocative of a time, place or moment which strikes a cord with you.