Photographing the forest understory in Door County, Wisconsin.
Making "Abandoned Cabin Along the Little River."
Setting up the camera in Canyonlands National Park
I have often thought that making a photograph amounted to a three way conversation between the landscape, the camera, and the photographer. Well, maybe more like a negotiation than a conversation. The subject of the photograph simply has its demands. The camera has its standards. And the photographer has a creative idea that is being imposed on the camera and the subject. A successful photograph blends these often conflicting elements into a final vision.
My decision to use a view camera and film is an aesthetic choice. The camera demands a discipline and commitment to technique. In return camera adjustments, choice of lens and film give me complete creative control over the composition. Under the dark cloth the image projected onto the ground glass is both upside down and backwards. A strong composition holds up under this level of abstraction. But weak concepts fall to pieces. At the moment of exposure the creative idea is fixed on the film. The final image, realized by traditional wet darkroom methods or by Photoshop, is not a mystery.