Landscapes at the Crossroads
The portfolio Landscapes at the Crossroads are a series of metaphorical landscapes that have been over a period of many years using both film and digital capture. These images attempt to take us to an inner-world rather than focusing us outward as in traditional landscape photography. I like to take a narrative; story telling approach but hope each image is more poetry than non-fiction. These generally focus on a combination or the interaction of man made objects and the natural world. This nexus can create this narrative, perhaps a paradox or even a visual anomaly that can act as a key to the door of the subconscious.
I am also a great admirer of the images and philosophy of Henri Cartier Bresson. In most of these landscapes the ‘Decisive Moment” applies. Sometimes it is instantaneous “Reflection 8”, “?” or “Cra-Cra Village”. For others is a bit more leisurely “Cloud Score”, “Out to Sea”, “Stormy Seas”, “ Tumbleweeds”, and for other this moment may stretch for hours and days. “Full Boat”, “Spilt Wheels”, Disappearing Tracks”.
And while much of contemporary photography is subject oriented, in my work what is most important is placing ourselves in the right relationship to the subject, and using everything at our disposal to create the composition that relates to the inner mood that we are either experiencing or wish to create. Furthermore I hope that these metaphorical landscapes, while outwardly traditional, verge into the world of the surreal - where the viewer's imagination plays a significant role in the experience of viewing the artwork. I also hope the viewer finds a little humor and irony in my work.