Lost in the Woods

Admittedly, when I’m not out photographing people or being my musician self, I’ve been known to get lost in the woods capturing photos of whatever I may find there. The images you see here are mainly the results from my earlier years in photography, chasing the light and going wherever the moment took me. I still very much enjoy doing this from time to time, with both my main DSLR camera and trusty little iPhone™, and will add more images from further adventures here as they are captured!

In the meantime, those interested are welcome to download a screensaver or two on me (use code “FREE-SS” up to three times in the store), and if you’d like to purchase a print, create a separate order and use code “PRINT20” for 20% off your first order (redeemable once). Also be sure to check out the packages as well for easier ways to access more nature prints at a lower investment. I hope you enjoy!

It wasn't long into this journey until I discovered that despite my best and most mastered attempts, a camera—a machine—could not always produce a faithful result that did justice to what my human eyes were witnessing. If you've ever tried to capture a picture of a sunset resulting in the ground appearing too dark (or the sky too bright) compared to the details your eyes could perceive, then you'll understand some of what I mean. 

How could I bottle up the dynamic scope and emotion of such scenes with limited technology? I was determined to find out, and eventually my persistent searching led me to some of the most tasteful, time-tested techniques within the art of photography: dodging and burning, manual exposure blending, graduated filters, and many more technical terms began showing up in my creative processes over time. And with much practice outdoors and in today's digital darkroom, these became and remain common staples in my efforts to tell the story of each new scene, and tell it tastefully, faithfully, and with excellence. 

All of this has slowly progressed over time towards a familiar style woven throughout my imagery. As I reflect back on my overall journey, though, it strikes me time and again that any particular “look" my images have is not really founded upon any fancy tricks or techniques I’ve learned, but rather the willingness and drive to show up, do everything I can to be at the right place at the right time, and simply be on location when everything is finally coming together. There really are no substitutes for that. And despite the continual advances in photographic technology, I will always know deep down that the real magic awaits those who are determined to follow in the footsteps of the many great landscape photographers of today and yesterday, get out into nature as much as possible, and be especially available and intentional towards whatever enfolds. Not every day nor every moment is magic, but the ones that are, will be remembered for a lifetime…and I bring my camera, and everything I've learned along the way, to help make sure of that. 

In closing, I hope that in viewing my work that you'll be moved to take more notice of what goes on in the outside world around you. And even if you can’t venture out again and again, perhaps you'll at least be inspired to wait in one spot for just a little while longer before throwing yourself back into a busy life. Maybe now and then you'll allow a sunrise or sunset to sway you more than a schedule. And quite possibly, you'll find yourself slowly being transformed by something--even Someone--much bigger than yourself, as I have.

* iPhone is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc.