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Memories are timeless treasures of the heart.

Life brings tears, smiles, and memories. The tears dry, the smiles fade, but the memories last forever.

A photograph is an opportunity to preserve those memories.  

I have been asked how I create my photographs. I will attempt to answer those questions with this post. Creatively approaching each image is key. Various artistic techniques are combined to strengthen the shapes, textures, and colors within an image through creative exposures. Specific camera lenses and filters provide different ways to convey the message. The types of lens and its focal length affects the image. The aperture or size of the opening of the lens can be utilized to manipulate the sharpness and focal point (focus) of the image.  Filters can add color, reduce glare, or change the amount of light allowed on various portions of the sensor. Gradients on an image can even be created with special types of filters. For example, the attached image was shot with a long lens (rather than to normal panoramic or wide angle lens normally utilized for sunsets) at high altitude which affects the colors in the image with the exposure set or metered for the clouds and sky allowing the tree to fall into shadow. This produced a unique shadow view of the tree against the sunset filled sky. My images are shot with professional quality equipment, and all of the negatives are organized in multiple databases. Each photograph is printed on archival canvas or photographic paper as a signed and numbered limited edition with a certificate of authenticity.

With photography, the light and its reflections are continually changing. Working quickly and efficiently at the moment is necessary to make the most out of each opportunity. This constant change in natural lighting is a challenge, but it is an intriguing aspect of photography. The reward often comes from waiting on the light and its reflections to fall at exactly the right angle. My photography focuses on how to encompass an image with light and its reflections. Whether incorporating bright colors, the values expressed in a black and white photo, or how the light reflects off of the subject and cuts across the background; the light and its reflections are crucial to illuminating the message of each image. Utilizing the colors within the visible sections of the light spectrum can reveal scenes and subjects in a different light. From highlights to shadows, all of the different values are integral parts of an image.

Taking the time necessary to measure both the light falling on a subject and the amount of light reflected off of the subject allows me to obtain the intended effects. When specific moments in life call for lighting not available naturally, the scene can be with supplemented with various lighting from reflectors or even electrical lights to accomplish the desired visual affects and experience.

I hope this gives everyone an idea as to how I approach my photography.

"The Earth has Its Music For Those Who Will Listen"

George Santayana

Mixed Media provides creative freedom and rewards with the strengths of the various mediums. My photography focuses on how to encompass an image with light and its reflections. Often incorporating multiple photographs into a composite image gives an innovative perspective. Whether incorporating bright colors, the values expressed in a black and white photo, or how the light reflects off the subject and cuts across the background; the light and its reflections are crucial to illuminating the message of each image. Utilizing the colors within the visible sections of the light spectrum can reveal scenes and subjects in a different way. From highlights to shadows, all of the different values are integral parts of an image. Taking the time necessary to measure both the light falling on a subject and the amount of light reflected from the subject allows me to obtain the unique effects. Sometimes, specific moments require supplementary lighting to accomplish a desired visual experience. Each photograph artistically developed emphasizes a unique story or a component of a larger story or message. Specific photographic development processes accentuate form and texture.

Pen and ink define and emphasize details not available through the lens. The watercolor provides a transparent glow unique to the medium. The reflection of light by fiber paper through the transparent watercolors illuminates the subject in a unique and selective way.  When areas of a painting need an opaque medium, I utilize gouache. This accentuates the transparent areas of a painting by increasing the contrast. Chinese paints add more unique opaque colors to fiber paper. However, many subjects require a greater softness with a rich depth of color to convey their messages. This led me to use pastel, a dry pigment with very little binder. I like to retain the right amount of transparency, so I prefer to use pure pigment in pans, but I will utilize traditional stick pastels whenever they harmoniously enhance the image. 

Using creative methods and multiple mediums provides many ways to accentuate the message within a work of art. This is the reason I am fascinated by and passionate about working in multiple mediums to produce a unique mixed media piece of art.

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