About Intent Images…
“Intent” goes a long way toward describing my photography. Its purpose has always been to share the way I see the world, to share the great joy capturing an image gives me, to share the incredible beauty I find wherever I am.
“Intent” also describes me when I am pursuing an image. My concentration is total, but I am, and have to be, completely relaxed. The camera is an extension of my mind. My thoughts are a meld of the technical and the aesthetic. I discover my compositions, never alter the scene by removing or rearranging any objects, and shoot using only natural light.
After years of shooting 35mm transparencies, and disgusted with the plummeting quality of slide processing, I converted to digital equipment so that I could have full control of the process -- from shooting the image to producing the print. I produce both "straight" and manipulated images. For the "straight" prints, I correct the electronic file, using software to make the same adjustments I used to do in the darkroom, so that the printed image reflects my memory of the moment I made the shot. The manipulated images, labeled "Composite", reflect a long-time interest in producing composite images. Now I am attempting to explore the introduction of symmetry into an asymmetrical world, and the expansion of the abstractions I have long found in nature. For decades I have sought images within the natural world. Now I seek images that speak to me from within the images.
I hope that you, the viewer, will see something that speaks to you as well.
About the equipment …
Camera: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II with 35mm chip (16.7 megapixels)
Lenses: Canon EF 100 f/2.8 Macro & Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8
Printers:
Epson Stylus Pro 4800 for 16x24s
Epson Stylus Pro 9600 for 20x30s
About the photographs…
The images were made primarily in the southern Appalachians, southern Ohio, and Hawaii. Since I have moved back to the mountains and started traveling to art festivals, I am exploring new areas and will be adding more images as frequently as possible.
The photographs printed 12” x 18” and larger are limited editions of 250. Each is signed, numbered, and mounted to museum standards using archival materials.
Smaller prints are open editions and mounted using acid-free materials. Regardless of the size, I print each photograph on zero-acid, cotton rag paper using pigments that will last decades.
About the photographer…
I was born in Murphy, North Carolina a long time ago. Growing up in the mountains, I felt close to the natural world and have retained that sense of belonging all my life. I graduated from Berea College in Kentucky, where I began a lifelong fascination with photography. In the 1970s, I worked as a photographer for the college’s Appalachian Museum documenting traditional mountain crafts and skills.
After a career change, I worked in systems technology for many years while continuing to develop my photographic eye. I decided to return to photography full time in 2005.
I moved back to Murphy in 2007 and started to exhibit my work at art fairs from Virginia to Florida.
