Exploring the Art of Black and White Photography
My artistic roots are solidly in black and white photography. It was my introduction to the medium when I was a boy hanging out in my Dad’s darkroom, and is still my first and greatest love. Black and white photographs have a classic look that captures the essence of a subject when color photographs often cannot. The absence of color allows me to focus on composition, texture, and the interplay of light and shadow, a simpler palette that requires more nuanced interpretation on my part in order to convey my intent in making a photograph. It can lead to a more compelling, powerful photograph.
Today’s black and white photographers trace their roots back to a pioneering group of photographers in California that included Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham and, of course, Ansel Adams. I’ve learned so much by studying the work of these and many other classic photographers, and I believe that their influence is obvious in my work.
Dogwood Blossoms, Merced River
When I learned of the historic snowpack and related historic water flows in Yosemite in the spring of 2023 I made the journey to California for a couple of weeks to photograph waterfalls and landscapes impacted by the floods. The Pacific Dogwoods were in bloom and I really wanted to make a photograph inspired by one of my favorite Ansel Adams pictures. The stars aligned on my next to last day when I found this scene as a rain shower was passing out of the valley and the air was clean and still.