19-FEB-2000
Vishnu, Angkor Wat, Cambodia, 2000
I took this shot without flash, using the light from a distant doorway. The bright orange Buddhist robe reflected that light into my camera, while the ancient statue, stained by twelve centuries of incense, fades into the background. This image, too, is organized around contrast in color to express meaning . The brilliant orange robe is a gift from today's worshipers. The ancient, soot blackened statue of Vishnu seems eternal.
10-SEP-2003
Stormy sunset, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2003
Pictures of sunsets are always pleasing to look at, but they usually require more than just a setting sun to make them function effectively. Using a wideangle converter on my camera, I stack four horizontal bands of contrasting colors within this frame -- all of them combining to convey the beauty and scale of this moment in time. The bottom layer, the earth, features two trees and a mountain. The trees appear tiny, yet immediately draw the eye -- giving this picture a focal point, and suggesting, through contrast, the vast scale of the scene. A distant mountain is also diminished in size, adding additional contrast in scale. I shifted my camera position so that the mountain blocks the sun and keeps the picture from being washed out by direct sunlight. The second layer, a band of golden clouds, brings this picture its most brilliant colors. These colors contrast to the darker hues of the third layer -- a band of falling rain.The top layer frames the scene with a band of dark, feathery clouds, providing a fitting crown to this stormy landscape of the American Southwest.
08-SEP-2003
Photography critic, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2003
As a participant in a digital travel photography workshop at the Santa Fe Workshops, I was assigned the task of creating an image organized around a strong angle and contrasting primary colors. Walking down Canyon Road, Santa Fe's famed gallery row, I discovered this flowery stairway leading to a landing backed by blue framed windows. As I approached the stairs, this dog appeared at the top, an ideal subject. Using a wideangle converter lens on my digital camera, i moved in as close as I could to the flowers, filling nearly the entire right hand side of the frame with them. I placed the dog in the upper left hand corner of the frame, creating a diagonal flow of subject matter from upper left to lower right. As i begain shooting, the dog tilted his head and lowered his ears, amost as if he was evaluating my efforts, and lending a perfect expression to this photographic challenge.
Crab’s Den, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, 1978
The rhythmic repetition of the flow of line in both rock and crab, unify this image and make it cohesive. The crab, clad in the shockingly bright primary colors of red and yellow, contrasts vividly to its den of black lava. This shot, organized around the contrast in color and unity in form, is my comment on the remote nature of these isolated islands in the Pacific and its effect on wildlife. Predation here is unknown, and protective coloration is unnecessary. Over the centuries, nature has enabled these colorful crabs to standout from their environment, instead of blending in. And that's the point of my picture.
Approaching the Great Pyramids, Cairo, Egypt, 1984
I wanted to visually express my awe as I approached the most massive and famous tombs in the history of mankind. My wideangle lens creates a layered sense of depth, as well as maximum depth of focus from foreground to background. I used our guide as “foreground layer” as he led us up the long approach toward these wonders of the ancient world. He was just in front of me, but the wideangle perspective makes him seem farther away from me than he really is. The tiny figures in the distance are much smaller than the guide, giving a sense of depth to this picture. The converging parallel lines of the edges of the road lead the eye to the pyramids themselves, the “subject layer” of this picture. A “context layer” features clouds rising from the pyramids, as if they were great plumes of smoke soaring into a deep blue sky. By using a wideangle lens, and maintaining the corrrect proximity to my subjects, I link foreground, middleground and background “layers” to express the legendary mystery of these awesome structures.
Under the Ruins, Macchu Picchu, Peru, 1982
It was important to me to stay overnight at these famed Inca ruins high in the Andes Mountains, so that I could abstract them in the inevitable early morning fog. I used a grazing llama as my focal point, positioning it in the lower right corner of my frame. I noticed that the shape of its rump rhythmically repeated the rounded shape of the mountain topped with ancient ruins. I organized this picture so that the slope of the mountain, as well as the sloping ground upon which this llama stands, lead directly to the llama itself. (Photographers call these "leading lines.") My final objective was to get the llama to turn his head and look back up at the ruins—completing a corner to corner diagonal flow running from the ruins to the llama. Each time I released my shutter, the llama looked up in response to my clicking sounds. Eventually he looked towards the ruins, completing the organization of this image.
Fragments of Memory, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1985
New Orleans cemeteries are haunted places. I was stopped in my tracks by this smashed tombstone, a shattered handclasp, coupled with the poignant “trust” resting next to it. When I looked at these pieces in the frame, the picture was static -- just two fragments, side-by-side . To make these elements work dynamically within the frame, I tilted my camera, creating a diagonal flow drawing the eye from corner to corner. I would never tilt my camera if a horizon were involved – nothing is more disorienting to a viewer. But in this photograph, no horizon is involved. I could tilt the frame without disorientation, creating a powerful diagonal, rather than a static side-by-side relationship, to make this image vibrant. Eighteen years after I made this photograph, I abstracted it in Photoshop by removing all traces of color. This pure black and white version is simpler, cleaner, and without distraction.
