I live in Tam Valley, part of Marin County, north of San Francisco. I’ve worked for many years as a scientific editor, and I think the focus on details that this requires, as well as the love of science and the natural world, has informed my work as a photographer. I’ve always instinctively looked closely at things, and tried to discover views that are surprising to people.
Since I was a teenager, I’ve wanted to create photos that capture the beauty around us, and that show the balance in the natural world. I’m always looking for new ways to express my love for the world, both the human and natural parts of it, and for views that explore the push and pull of how those elements intersect. I look for graphic tension, subtle colors, linear patterns, and the stillness of detail. I focus on composition, contrast, light and shadow; this is my visual voice, my way of sharing how I see the world. I’ve never thought of myself as an artist, but I’ve always been driven to capture a unique vision of the world around us, a world that seems to me precious and beautiful and sometimes threatened.
I pick themes as I notice them; I take account of what seems interesting, and then follow it through. I try to use the light I have, and really look at what’s in front of me. For instance, I was once walking around an unfamiliar area waiting for a friend, and I wandered into a dry dock for boats—and I thought “What about the undersides, no one ever looks at them”? They produce beautiful patterns, without really meaning to. I like to find accidental beauty.
This all led to the idea of question perception, which is what I’m exploring in my current work. I want to produce photographs that are both beautiful to look at and that challenge people to question their perceptions of reality, that make them think, “What is that? Where is it? “What does it remind me of?” “What does it mean to me?” I hope you’re willing to come along on this exploration with me.