techniqueabout my technique
discover
Most of my photographs get their start during walks through my suburban neighborhood. As I walk, I keep my eyes open for the odd details of nature around me. I look for leaves that have fallen, pine cones and seeds that have beginning to decay, or flowers pushing through the cracks in the sidewalk. My favorite time is right after a storm has blown through, scattering leaves and seeds everywhere.
explore
I collect these fragile bits and pieces of nature, and bring them back to my studio. I carefully examine each object, holding it to the light and looking for hidden surprises. Most get thrown away. But every once and a while, one will catch my eye and reveal something unique. These I save. My studio now has leaves, sticks, branches, bark, and seeds strewn all over the tables and stashed into boxes.
create
I use the techniques of macro photography to slowly explore each organic object. One subject may take days to shoot, yielding dozens of photographs that experiment with light, focus and compositon. I then begin the slow process of refining all of those photographs to my final selections: the ones I feel best capture the spirit of the object that I sensed in the object when I stumbled on it. Once I boil it down to a few potential images, it then take weeks to refine those shots to my final image. I use no special digital effects in my artwork -- my photographs capture what I composed through the lens of the camera.