it must be "lit with piercing glances into the life of things", it must acknowledge the spirtual forces which have made it.
(Don't miss he images on the pages for PROFILE,NEWS & EVENTS and CONTACT.)
"Laguna de Santa Rosa" on this page captures the seemless reflection of siloetted deciduous Oak Tree limbs isolated by fog and warmed by emerging morning light. The paradox of the unity and harmony of opposites, subjective and objective, real and reflective,alive and dead can go beyond the picturesque to convey a bit of Nature's mystery. "Laguna Reflection" (Image #13 in my PORTFOLIO) was taken at the same site -- It was selected as Pictorial Slide of the Year by the Northern California Council of Camera Clubs for 2002-3. Both images in differet years have been given Honorable Mentions by Photographers' Forum's annual international contest.
Images on my PORTFOLIO page:
Image #6 depicts a Calico Cactus Flower common to the Mojave Desert. Cactus flowers are the most intensely beautiful flowers I've photographed. This image received a 4th place Gold Medal in the Photographic Society of America's (PSA) annual club competition (Group B). Cactus floweres are abundant in the Majave Desert from March to May.
Image #7, "Manzanita in December," was taken at Sugarloaf State Park in Santa Rosa, CA. The inter-action of its reds and greens adorn its skin. During Decdember the greens become vibrant and the red bark, when dampened with rain, becomes vibrant.
Image #8 pictures the most beautiful wild Monarch butterfly I have ever seen. It stopped to find nurishment on this wonderful domestic flower just long enough for me to capture it on film. Good images are all gifts. It was taken at the Living Desert's Butterfly Garden in Palm Desert Calif.
Image #9 is a Flame Skimmer Dragonfly taken in June,2003, at the Living Desert. I have fallen in love with dragonflies. Many cooperate and permit you to approach them, often within two feet, with my 180 mm macro. Wildlife that permit such intimacy permit some of the best wildlife photographs. This image has already qualified for PSA's end of year club competition.
Image #10 is a Gilled Mushroom offering a wonderful composition at first glance -- I usually need to work hard at finding the strongest way to photograph anything. I did not know how beautiful mushrooms could be until I began to be a serious photographer.
Image #11 is the delicate Heart of a Yellow Begonia taken at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens -- a visit here in August to see the Begonias alone makes the trip worth while. Two stops additional light was necessary to capture the yellow as the eye "sees."
Image #12 was taken at low tide at Pinacle Gulch near Bodega Bay, CA. Three kinds of Starfish are on this rock. It was taken under bright sunlight using a large diffuser to soften the light and a gold reflector to warm its colors. A 20 mm lens was used up close to maximize the solidity of the starfish.
Image #13, Laguna Reflection, discussed above, was taken at the corner of Occidental and School Roads in Sebastopol of the Laguna de Santa Rosa before sunrise when it was flooded (as the Russian River needs to be almost flooding) and fog is necessary to isolate the trees and their reflections.
Image #14, Dew on Backlite Leaf, is a celebration of dew drops and color seen with the perspective of a macro lens.
Images 15 to 17 are landscapes with Cala Lillies at Olompolie State Park, then moon-rock at Salt Point State Park and #17, Sunset at Joshua Tree National Park. All were taken with a 20mm wide angle lens.
On my CONTACT page there is not room to describe the image, an East African Crowned Crane. This won 1st place at PSA's annual club competition (Group B) in 2001 and Best of Show that year at the Sonoma-Marin County Fair. It was taken at Safari West near Santa Rosa, CA. This portrait captures a seductive glance that converges with the remarkable strength of its stature.
