About Me

A word for the technically minded,

    The photographs on this website,. with the exception of a few in the "wildlife Gallery", were shot on film using either a large format Toyo view camera or a medium format Pentax camera. My films of choice are either Fuji's Velvia (both 50 and 100 or 100F) or Astia 100F. I also occasionally use Provia 100. Some of the bird images were taken with a Canon 450D digital Camera.
    I started my photographic journey years ago using Canon 35mm film cameras, and soon moved up to a 4x5 view camera. A 4x5 transparency is 16 times larger than a 35mm slide, providing stunning detail (if properly focused and exposed) and image control that just cannot be matched using smaller formats or most of the current digital capture systems. I back up my large format system with a Pentax 645 system. Since the 4x5 is a slow and cumbersome piece of equipment, the Pentax fills in the gaps when time and nimbleness are at a premium.
    Once the image is captured on film, I scan the transparency on a high-end Epson flatbed 4870 scanner, creating a large file from which to work with.
     My ultimate goal is to have a finished image that is as close to what was portrayed to me by nature as possible. Modern films as advanced as they are cannot record an image as our eyes see it. To help overcome a wide range in exposure difference I often employ a graduated neutral density filter and/or a polarizing filter. The scanning process also does its bit of distortion. Therefore, in order to return to as natural a rendition as possible minor color, contrast, and saturation adjustments are made to the image, along with dust spotting. Beyond that, there are no alterations or digital manipulations to the images you see here on this website or in prints that I make from these images. They are as close to the real deal as I can make them.

Hello and thank you for taking the time to look over my website. I have been photographing the magnificent Pacific Northwest for over 30 years now, and have had my work published locally, regionally, and nationally. I live in the quiet community of John Day, nestled beneath the 9000-foot Peak of Strawberry Mountain, the centerpiece of the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness Area in eastern Oregon. It is less than 20 miles out my front door to the wilderness boundary, and the rest of Oregon’s grandeur surrounds us. I photograph mostly scenic and nature subjects; although I also enjoy the many rural scenes provided by our somewhat backcountry lifestyle. I share my life with my lovely wife, Marci, and our three children, and we can often be found enjoying the outdoors together camping, hiking, fishing, and canoeing. We also raise Yorkshire terriers, and they have accompanied me on many a formidable photographic journey.

For me, the process we call photography is a sharing experience: to bring to others what I see through the lens and capture on a sheet of film. To this end, I guess I am driven to capture the essence of the wilderness, of nature in its purity, of our own existence and communion with this land we call home, and to somehow share those images and feelings with those who could not be present as I made the image that came into focus on my groundglass. I find that the words of Ansel Adams say it best:

“I am an ardent believer in wilderness, which reflects the mystique of nature, and I have enjoyed both companionship and solitude in the high mountains. From the beginning I was impressed by the philosophy that all life and art are justified by communication; experiences are to share, not to hoard. . . . I am glad that the artist can move through the wilderness taking nothing away from its inexhaustible spirit and bringing his vision-modulated fragments to all who come to see.” ---Ansel Adams 1979; ‘Yosemite and the Range of Light’.

As a young photographer I was deeply impressed by the great landscape photographers such as Weston, Cunningham, Porter, and of course Ansel Adams, and from their inspirations I have tried to develop my own style. But perhaps no other mentor touched me as much as has David Muench, and just recently I was afforded the once-in-a-life-time experience of being in one of David’s workshops (in Death Valley). It was truly a rewarding experience to “Walk in Beauty” with one of the world’s most respected scenic photographers.

I currently sell stock images and all subjects here on the site are available with a licensing agreement. I am also working toward making all images available in print form, so if you see something of interest, please drop me a line through the contact page. In the meantime: Enjoy and “Walk in Beauty.”