The classic beauty that is traditional black and white fine art photography is almost impossible to find in this digital age. I continue to use the Pentax ME film camera that my dad bought in 1978, not because I cannot adapt to the modern age, but because there is something about developing my own film and hand printing each silver-gelatin print in my own darkroom that preserves the true art of photography. With a digital camera and a computer, it has become much easier to produce a pretty color picture. I find it much more rewarding to capture God’s creation in black & white. Doing so requires visualizing a scene without the distracting element of color and instead using the more basic elements of shape, texture and composition to translate the emotional impact of the subject. And since the print relies on the density of silver particles rather than inks or dyes to depict the range of light and dark in the image, it will last virtually forever. Prints made by Ansel Adams almost 100 years ago using the same techniques remain as inspiring as the day they were made.
The subjects for my photography are primarily landscapes from wherever my travels have taken me, along with scenes around SE Minnesota. Each print is individually handmade with only a couple copies in existence. Proceeds go to support the youth program at Rochester Covenant Church.