Is a photograph just a photograph? Or can a photograph transform into a piece of art? In my opinion, yes. I have been an artist since the early age of 11. After high school, I went on to study graphic design at the Colorado Institute of Art in Denver, Colorado. I didn't find my passion for photography until college. Since, I have combined my love for the arts into my photography and created my unique style I like to call "painting with light".

   When I refer to the term painting with light, I mean painting the "canvas" with natural lighting to create a "painting like" effect. Examples of this technique can be seen with my color prints under my Limited Edition gallery on my personal web site at www.lightinthelandscape.com This technique doesn't work with all my landscape scenes and only works during sunrise or sunset. After arriving to a location I want to photograph, I study the terrain and lighting conditions and figure out where to position myself for a sunrise or sunset shot. After a lengthy envisioning process, I wait for the lighting to be just right. If I can envision a paticular scene to look like a painting, then I can usually transform that scene to take on the attributes of a painting with the careful use of natural lighting on the landscape. 

   When the time is just right, I begin to "paint" my canvas with light. With a few shots of under and over exposure with my camera, I take those shots to the edit room for post processing. For the most part, I try to stay away from those expensive graduated color filters as they can make a scene look un-natural. If I do use a filter, it is done in post processing, as seen in my "December in the Sawtooth's" image. I used a purple graduated filter in the sky for that extra added cold feeling you get when you view that image. When I come across a composition I like the best, I usually pick one with more of an under exposure for that "painting like" effect.

   With a little envisioning and a careful use of lighting, a photograph can transform into a piece of art. From my experience in the art world, a piece of art can be anything you want it to be. Combining my art into my photography is my way to artistically express myself. I just express myself a little differently, I do it with my eyes shut.

   When my images are printed on the heavier weight Hahnemuehle Photo Rag, they begin to take on more of that painting like effect. When viewed from a distance, they look like a painting. When viewed closer up, only then can you tell that it is in fact a photograph. An optical illusion with a twist. Thank you for stopping by and I hope that you will enjoy my artistic expression of the world as I see it through my camera.