People say it all the time. What they really mean is that things happened too quickly and they missed something.

My black and white imagery is my attempt to fill that gap. With my camera, I record scenes in which I know there is more than what you might see at a glance. I’m drawn to subject matter that has something unusual or irregular about it; a crooked mountain, a broken branch, a bent leaf. Imperfection is a point of view.

I see color as a distraction. Working exclusively in black and white frees me. I see in shape and form. I record textures and lines. I search for balance and unity in nature.

Famed painter Georgia O’Keeffe brought the viewer up close to the subjects in her art. O’Keeffe’s reframing technique is something that has influenced me. I rarely leave the crop as it comes out of the camera. I reframe the photography to establish a balance to my art that isn’t possible when creating it where I stood.

My photography is in line with realism. I want to show the scene as it exists without heavy reliance upon modern editing software. I’m committed to the style of the traditional darkroom. Photographer Jack Curran generously taught me how to dodge and burn with delicacy and precision. I sculpt the subject with light and dark to deepen the tonal range and make it glow.

For me, the joy is in the authentic representation of the scene. I want to draw the viewer into a new and intimate world.

I want you to see what you haven’t noticed before.