Mountain The Motion Picture

I don’t spend much time in front of the TV or at the Movie Theater as to me they are mostly hypnotic instruments aimed at the dumbing down of humanity and I choose to remain awake rather than asleep. Certainly there is great programing out there if you take the time to look for it but filtering out all the noise takes time and effort. When I do choose to partake its programing that is centered around the arts, culture, science and nature that I am most likely to gravitate toward. When I do find a series or a motion picture that really grabs me I feel an obligation to give back and reward such great programing by sharing it with others so that they too may benefit from the experience. Mountain is one such picture that deserves such attention and I would encourage you to have a view when you get a chance.

Director by Jennifer Peedom and starring Willem Dafoe, and Renan Ozturk Mountain is “A vertiginous juxtaposition of image and music that explores the powerful force that mountains hold over our imaginations. From Tibet to Australia, Alaska to Norway armed with drones, Go-Pros and helicopters, the filmmakers have fashioned an astonishing symphony of mountaineers, ice climbers, free soloists, heli-skiers, snowboarders, wingsuiters and parachuting mountain bikers.”

This film really gets your blood flowing through the use of incredible imagery coupled by a dynamic soundtrack. Willem Dafoe’s raspy, somewhat somber voice carries you through an audio visual masterpiece that in many ways is more like a theme park ride than a motion picture. You can find Mountain on Amazon Prime Video.

minimalism

lately I have found myself at a crossroads in my photographic journey, and it is a welcomed divergence from the course I have been on since I began shooting large format film. In the course of an artist lifetime, so long as one continues to create, there will be moments in which personal perceptions and tastes will evolve and new direction will be taken. This process is essential to the personal growth and development of not only the artist but the resulting art. generally these periods are brought on by the times, new influences and new discovery but are also born out of necessity for the artist to remain both relevant and inspired. If there are long periods of no growth or evolution in ones work and in ones self, both the work and the artist become stagnant and as a result cease to inspire as well as find inspiration. Over the years I have been inspired and influenced by many artists and works of art, whether that was in my early years producing pencil drawings or more recently through the camera, I don’t believe there is or ever has been an artist that worked completely in a vacuum and without influence. In my photography, influences have changed over the years but I have retained certain qualities from each and they along with my own personal style continue to compound and develop and this is what keeps me refreshed and inspired to go out and continue to produce new work.

Cat Head Bay - Study 1, Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan

When I made the decision to return to film I was influenced by the work of a two photographers in general, one whom I had met through local art festivals and one whose work I was introduced to through a photography book I found at a local book store. Both of these photographers were from the Midwest, the region I too am from and both worked with large format color film and their primary subject was the landscape. I was inspired by the detail and look produced by large format and the vivid color and contrast of color slide film and the work of these two individuals inspired me to produce much of my early work. These photographers were C. W. Banfield and Ron Leonetti and their work and advice helped push me in a creative direction that I have followed since 2012. Along the way I have picked up new influences and these too have been instrumental the in development of my work and more recently I have found influence and inspiration in two photographers who like C. W. and Ron both shoot film however unlike my previous influences work exclusively with medium format film and in the 6x6 square format of the Hasselblad 500 series camera systems.

Cat Head Bay - Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan

Whats also interesting is that while I have been influenced by the work of both of these men, at least one of them has also been greatly influenced by the work of the other, and whats also interesting to note is that we are all separated generationally by a period of about ten years. The photographers I am talking about are Bruce Percy and Michael Kenna and it is the latter who has had the most influence on the direction I am now taking in the work I am producing currently. While I have found a lot of inspiration in the work and teachings of both of these men, it is Micheal Kenna who is know for minimalism in his work as well as shooing almost exclusively with black and white film. Over the past two years I have become more and more drawn to the look and feel created by the 6x6 square format and in August of 2018, I picked up a Hasselblad 501c with an 80mm CF lens and an A12 back. I first used this camera on my September 2018 trip to Yellowstone where I shot it along side of my Mamiya 7ii 6x7 cm system however I decided to load the Hasselblad with black and white panchromatic film instead of my usual choice of Fujifilm Velvia 50, color slide film. The results were refreshing and for me held true to Micheal Kenna’s words that black and white unlike color is more of a suggestive media while color film can often leave little to the imagination as it is the way we see the world every day. I also find that black and white film has a certain romantic quality to it and I think this stems from the early days of photography and the periods of the 1920’s 30’s and 40’s when much of the iconic black and white images were produced. Michael Kenna came of age as a photographer in the 1970’s and this is also the time period when the minimalism moment in modern art was born so it is no surprise that he is one of its pioneers.

Cat Head Bay - Study 3, Leelanau Peninsula Michigan

The collection of images you see here are part of a new direction I find myself taking and represents really my first attempt to add a minimalist quality to my work. The exclusion of color is also a departure from my previous work and takes me back to my roots in photography working with black and white 35mm film as a teenager. I welcome the abstruseness and open interpretive quality found with the use of black and white and look forward to experimenting with mood and tonal relationships that suggest mystery and space.

Cat Heady Bay - Study 4, Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan

Cat Heady Bay - Study 5, Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan

Cat Heady Bay - Study 6, Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan

Cat Heady Bay - Study 7, Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan

Without a doubt I will continue to discover new influences as I trace the steps of those who came before me and incorporate these influences with those that I have previously discovered all melded with my own personal style. I am grateful to these artists that have left their mark on me and empowered me to experiment, grow and produce my own work and I find inspiration and excitement in the prospect of the work that has yet to come. Here’s to the journey!

Central Highlands, Iceland

I am continually captivated by the raw beauty of the Icelandic landscape. In anticipation of a 2018 trip I have been gravitating toward all things Iceland. I found this well produced video on You Tube of the central highlands and Vatnajökull National Park. I am enthralled by the almost alien like landscape, the closest thing I have seen with my own eyes is the Vermillion Cliffs region of northern Arizona and southern Utah. I thought I would share is amazing footage for some inspiration. Hope you enjoy!

The Art Of Natural Beauty

I have been thinking quite a bit lately about the elements which come together to create compelling images . Certainly visual components of color, form, line, shape, space, texture, and value all come into play, however I think its the emotion felt at the time of capture that really makes great art. Although an image will most likely evolve past original capture in the editing process I feel its the original emotion carried through, that shapes and molds an image into its final stage. This process is often referred to as visualization but that's not exactly how it works for me. The moment I can step out of everyday and enter the loving embrace of the forests, coastlines, rocky outcroppings, waterfalls and lakes, I feel free and at home. For me the art process begins at the moment I find a connection to the subject in front of my eyes and am compelled to interpret the emotion it evokes in me into visual imagery. Its as if the soul of the natural world enters and joins mine through my eye. Once I set forth to make an image based on emotional relation, I begin to distill what I see and feel into one frame, employing the relationships of the elements and principals of art. These elements are here to aid me compose the emotional connection into imagery however without the emotional connection there would be no artistic interpretation.

"Gator Dance" Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore - Empire, Michigan

 The Art of Natural beauty is my way of communicating the amazing energy and emotion of the natural world to others through my escapes into nature with my camera. It is a conduit to our true nature and the relationship all things share in the universal energy that ties all creation together.

Inspiration

I find inspiration in not only the work of other photographers but in many other art forms as well, including music. Very much like photography music is an emotionally felt experience that connects millions of people. As artists we take raw emotion and mold it into an expressive medium. By sharing this expression with others we find a seance of gratification, however we also open ourselves up for criticism. We must be open to, and ready to accept both flattery as well asassessment from others. Sigur Ros is a band I find very refreshing. Heima or "At Home" is afilm put together to document the bands return home from extensive touring to preform several free concerts during the summer of 2006. It's a piece that gets my juices flowing and longing to visit Iceland in search of emotional experiences and connections. Its interesting to listen to them speak about the criticism of the Icelandic people as being heavier than the rest of the world fan base. This beautiful look into the life and minds of one of Iceland's most recognized bands is full of raw emotion. Coupled with their fantastic music and views of the amazing Icelandic landscape, Heima is an inspiration.