Artist's Statement

Like many others, my passion for photography grew out of a desire to share the spectacular sights I saw while backpacking and camping in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains during the 1970's and 80's with my two sons and my friends. It wasn't long before I was processing my film and learning to print black and white images.

My interest grew to value more than just the superficial qualities of the image. I quickly discovered that I much preferred black and white to color because it stripped the photograph of nonessential elements, leaving only the forms, the emotion it evoked and the light.

My photographic goal is to capture not only the beauty of the locations I visit but also some of the spirit of the place. If my picture evokes a feeling in the viewer similar to the one that I had when making the exposure, the communication between me, the photographer, and the viewer has been successful.

I have found that the vision I had of a photograph while making the exposure often changes over time. A print made at one point in time may be quite different than one made previously from the same negative.

I'm interested in subjects other than the landscape. I expose film whenever a photograph presents itself, regardless of what it is.