Fine Art Photography

Inspire:

“Nowhere can the mind’s eye find anything more dazzling or more obscure than in man; it can focus on nothing more awe-inspiring, more complex, more mysterious, or more infinite. There is one spectacle greater than the sea: That is the sky; there is one spectacle greater than the sky: That is the interior of the soul.”

-Victor Hugo; Les Misérables

• picture of books + photo books (Sally Mann, Ansel Adams, Borut Peterlin, Austin Kleon, Tolkien, Sontag, Hegel, Death of Natural Photo, Edward Weston, cartier bresson)

The Photographs I make are inspired by many different things. At my core, I like to wander and explore new places; this is driven by my child-like relationship to adventure. When I was a young boy, imagination played a huge role in my relationship with the world. I would climb trees as high as I dared and rode my bicycle as far from home as my courage would allow. My backyard felt like the jungle and I was an explorer who had to tame its fierce mysterious power.

As an adult, I don’t have the time and the luxury to play as freely as I did as a child. However, I can still try to enjoy the adventurous spirit that I have retained. When I don’t have the time (or the energy) to embark on an adventure, I like to read it in books. What makes impressions on me is a story about the yearning for adventure, character interaction and development, forming of unlikely friendships, and most importantly feeling of returning home and realizing change in themselves and the world they live in.

Visualize:

“‘I have sat by your side with Sam each day. But as for the feast, I don’t go in for such things much now. And I had something else to do.’
’What where you doing?’
Why sitting and thinking. I do a lot of that nowadays, and this is the best place to do it, as a rule.’”

-J.R.R. Tolkien; The Fellowship of the Rings

• picture of notes/journal (Pocket Notes, current journal, nightly phrase a day.

Taking long walks gives me the space to think. Especially in a natural park where I can enjoy the company of trees and their many forest friends. I will write the things I think about almost immediately in a pocket notebook I carry with me. I will forget it if I don’t do this immediately. Some thoughts are fleeting and insignificant, so I have a “Phrase a Day” 5 year journal that I started this year, and that’s where I can focus the more solid thoughts I have. As I write my thoughts, converse with people, and most importantly, ponder them for a good long while, The concepts that are true to my identity will take hold and I will start to shape the ideals of photographic artwork.

Ideas about making photographs are more important to me than making images thenselves.

I could go on and on about the preludes of art process. If you want to learn more about it, I am writing an article on (insert here) which directly speaks about and explores how humans think and feel the way we do. But, onto the next step which is the creative photography section of this article.

Expose:

“Ansel Adams the print.”

-Ansel Adams

-Camera on my back walking around

Finally we come to the camera. Finding a subject I connect with takes awareness and observation with what is around me. I focus not only on the sight, but also the sound, smell, and feeling of my body and the Earth around me. Once I’ve arrived on a visual interest of what I want, here is where I will compose a picture with the camera’s ground glass.

-picture of me finger framing.

The camera large, heavy, and requires a tripod. Moving the whole setup can be cumbersome, so a composition aid helps a lot to pre-visualize what will be seen by the camera. It allows me to find a rough idea first and then go through the complications of camera setup. Once I set up a shot, I measure the light in the scene using a spot meter. Knowing the relative brightness levels of the scene is crucial to bring out my creative vision in the steps to come. Large format photography is methodical and has many steps. If you are interested in learning large format. I have written a free guide for beginners.

The moment of anticipation is finally here. The camera is set and locked down. I am ready and I hold my breath as I wait until the moment feels right to release the shutter, open the lens, and expose the film.

Develop:

So far in the photographic process, nothing I do is made by my me other than the decissions to crop out the world and reproduce it by taking a picture of it. The process of making something from nothing is essential for artists and I believe that is what I am. I might use photography and artist interchangably, but I think like an artist and express my feelings by making photographs. Only taking photographs leaves a void that, as an artist, the making part of me needs to be fulfilled. And this is why darkroom work is so appealing to me.

My blank canvas is in the film emulsion, and my final brush stroke is dodging and burning with a print. But I’m getting ahead of myself, after exposure the film needs to be developed into a negative to be seen or used in any further application.

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Notes:

It is here when the photograph starts to become more tangible. When I explore nature I tune into my senses to feel for a pictorial representations of the concept in my mind. Wandering on a hike comes with many discoveries, so the excitement of new and random motifs will come up unexpectedly. I strive to stay plastic enough to see the magnificence of nature, while staying rooted in my themes as an artist. It is normal for work to tangent and stray, but I believe that’s part of the fun of doing it and the unexpected discoveries can change you forever.