My interest in nature started as a young child. The house I grew up in was built in the woods and was among the first in the development. As the neighborhood grew, I gained friends, but watched as the woods were cut down with each new home added.
My photography began when my grandfather, who also had the photography bug, bought me a Brownie Starmeter camera when I was in the third grade. My first photos were taken during class field trips and family vacations. I took a Photography 101 class while in college with a newly purchased Olympus OM-1.
My inspiration came after seeing a Robert Glenn Ketchum exhibit at the Mayfield Rd. JCC. I saw how to photograph the landscape in Northeast Ohio. As many of his images could have been made anywhere, and Ohio is about as “anywhere” that you can get. Ketchum has been the greatest influence on my work.
The landscape photographs that I make are done in a traditional manner, showing the few remaining natural areas that are untouched and pristine. I feel that I have successfully made a photograph when the two-dimensional medium projects the feeling of three-dimensional space, the essence of an area is conveyed and the viewer has the sense of being there. This is done through the use of light, texture, forms, tonal range of color and getting close to the subject.
The majority of images were made in the parks and preserves of Northeast Ohio. A 4x5 view camera was used from 1998 until 2020, when I started using a digital mirrorless camera. Many of the images were made in recognizable locations, while other could have been made anywhere. However, whether a location is recognizable or not, I strive to make images that are different from those that have been seen before, and are unique. Only minor manipulations or enhancements have been made.
While many of these images were made in protected areas, there are many similar areas that are unprotected and in danger of development. The various types of wetland habitat are especially sensitive to development. It is my hope that from these images people will be introduced to the geographic and biodiversity of Northeast Ohio’s protected areas from those well known and to the hidden areas.