Why do I photograph?
I believe in beauty, in the power of beauty to calm the mind. I believe in the power of beauty to promote peace. Peace of mind. Peace among minds.
I believe in the natural world as a source of beauty. I find beauty in the natural world.
I believe humans can create beauty. That is what art is.
I believe that photography is an intersection: beauty taken from the natural world, the outside world, and made human, made into human-made beauty.
I believe that trees give us spiritual power.
I believe that photographs can transmit some of that power to us.
I believe photographs can be powerful. Powerful reminders. Powerful inspirations.
I believe that vast landscapes open the mind. I believe that photographs of vast landscapes remind us to open our minds. They remind us of how tiny we - and our problems - are.
I believe that plants communicate with us. Through scent, but also through shape.
I believe they mean well.
I believe that photographs of plants calm the mind and promote wellness. They make us admire the details out there. The photographs notice the details we don’t take the time to notice.
I believe that photographs remind us of the dignity of others. Perhaps they can even make us more respectful and compassionate. And not just towards other humans. But towards everything.
I believe in quality. In the quality of quality. I believe that quality matters. I believe in making my photographs the highest quality I can.
I believe in the human. In the imperfect human. In the imperfect human quality. Imperfection is a quality. Every perfect thing is perfect the same way. Every imperfection is imperfect in its own way.
Why do I photograph? Because I want to inspire with beauty, for beauty. With quality, for quality. I print photographs because I think beauty that awes and inspires needs to be on display. To awe and inspire.
I photograph because I think art is a ladder to get off the treadmill. Because art gets us out of the maddening world and into a saner, more intimate world that somehow makes sense. Beauty makes sense. Trees and plants make sense. Vast landscapes make sense. Pause. Art makes us pause. Pause makes sense. That’s why I photograph.