Heartland Views Photography

As you may note, much of my photography involves everyday items that are basking in a unique form of light. More than anything, I am a light junkie. If the light is right, I will do whatever I can to capture the moment.

I have been chasing light for over 35 years. My quest began back in 1971 when I was stationed at Offutt AFB in Omaha Nebraska. Using a simple camera (a Konica C35) and a desire to learn more about this medium, I shot, processed  and printed images using everything from 35mm to 5 x 7 large format cameras and film. From my very first image to my latest, I do all of my own work. I shoot, process and print every image that bears my name.

Most of my photographs have been captured, prepared and presented in and around southwest Iowa. I have been living in the country, approximately five miles northwest of Treynor Iowa for nearly ten years. This simple spot of land has given me an untold number of wonderful moments that I have captured and presented in my photographs.

When I share my images with others, I am often asked that age old question that nearly every photographer hears, “Did you manipulate the image?” My answer is always the same. While I will make minor adjustments to an image including the subtle tweaking of tones, cropping distracting elements while avoiding as much as possible removing items such as wires from an image, etc., I will not push an image beyond what I believe is an accurate and honest rendering of what is in the frame. My photographs are emotionally accurate. They are honest images of what I saw and felt at the time I captured image.

I like to present my photographs as fine art posters in the standard poster sizes (11 x 14 and 18 x 24), in a simple metal frame and nothing else. I hate placing glass over any image. I have to be able to look directly into my prints without having to cope with reflections bouncing off of a sheet of glass or a glossy print surface. I have found that my ink-jet printer (HP Z3100) loaded with pigment inks just thrives with printing on Hahnemuhle’s Bamboo paper. This archival quality fine art paper and pigment inks produce images that really do have a third dimension, a physical depth that I have never seen before in anything that I have used. This warm tone matte surface paper, made from bamboo fibers, is my all-time favorite paper. It is nothing short of spectacular for the images that I love to make.

When I make an image that makes me happy, I need to share it with others. As each individual takes a moment or more to study my work, I am hoping to hear those wonderful words, “absolutely beautiful.” Then, and only then, will I know that I have indeed been successful. My quest is never complete unless and until others can see the beauty in the subject that I saw and can hear the stories that I heard when I was shooting and processing the image.