Photography is all about light.  This is an oft-stated fact that bears repeating from time to time.  Photography is, in fact, the art of "painting" or "drawing" with light.  Light is to photography what words are to writing.  In an age of Instagram and on-line photo-sharing, when people are casually taking snapshots with their cell-phones, it is easy to forget that the simple act of taking a photo is a thing quite profound - the capture of light in a particular way, in a particular place, in a particular, unrepeatable instant of time.

 

Light determines my subject matter.  Although I sometimes have the experience of passing some interesting thing or person in my environment and feeling compelled to capture it on film, I more often tend to think of my subject as being light itself.  For me, photography is all about capturing the subtle variations in form and texture that are usually noticed only when we stop and are consciously aware of our surroundings.  Although a look at my work will reveal some conventional subject matter - mountains, trees, people, ruins, old trucks - what attracts me most is the play of light and shadow on that subject matter, rather than the thing itself.  I think this is probably true of most photographers.

 

My photography is undoubtedly influenced by my Buddhist practice, though I'd be hard-pressed to describe exactly how.  It has something to do with getting past the surface appearance of things, and learning to see the serenity underneath.  When we peel away all the valuations and judgments and ideas we attach to things, what we are left with is simple, unadulterated activity.  Things are just happening - activity is unfolding ceaselessly - and I see it as my job to somehow capture a sense of that raw, timeless quality of things.  No doubt I am often not successful in this endeavor, but even in such cases, it is my hope that my efforts still yield results that are, at the very least, pleasing to look at.

 

Please let me know what you think.  I welcome feedback.