Evolving Beauty is a twenty-year retrospective show, punctuating my two decades of photography with an ellipsis, not a period. The exhibition chronicles my development as an artist to date, as well as offering a glimpse toward future directions.
Though I am best known for my work with the Nude, my subjects range from architecture to floral studies to portraiture, as well as my trademark figure work. Selected from over 120,000 images, this show provides insight into the creative evolution of my work.
Colour photography has been a long, slow road for me, with digital photography finally facilitating my explorations of the medium. This image was one of the first I recall thinking about colour when I made it - the beautiful tones of the field through the window contrasting with the subtle gray of the building itself. Digital
As soon as I saw the lines in the rock, I knew this space had potential. Monique and I worked for 20 minutes with the digital camera before we found this composition. I asked if she could hold the pose so I could work with the view camera, and received an enthusiastic yes. As I worked, the composition slowly changed, partially due to the different proportions of the view camera and partially because of the larger ground-glass, which made it easier to compose. 8"x10" film
Most of my water images focus on the placid, elegant look of still or slow moving water but this image is the opposite. Created in late May, Gold River was still high with spring run-off, and Miles had to wedge himself against a rock to keep steady within the golden water surging down the river. I only had time to make two exposures before Miles asked to come back to shore, but fortunately, one of the two was near perfect. 4"x5" film
Four of us were exploring new territory, looking for new spaces to photograph in. We`d worked our way along the river’s edge and came to a high cliff, below which was a surprising sea of white. As we stood, looking down at the swirls of rapid-foam in a pool below. Trisha looked at me and asked “You want me to pose in that, don’t you?”. I just smiled, and minutes later, this image was made. 4"x5" film
I was quite surprised by how easy it was for Hannah and Krista to find a very successful pose. We tried a couple, the first with one model leaning back, and the other reclining, and then this one, with the two bodies interwoven through Krista’s arm on Hannah’s shoulder. The tonal shift that came from working with the infrared camera helped separate the model’s skin from the surroundings, and keep them the solid focus of the finished image. Digital infrared, 38 image stitch
While I was drawn to the flowers as subjects in themselves, much of what I did with them was formal in nature, relying on composition and framing to build images that engaged my eye. The subject could just as well have been broken pottery or clouds. Digital
Towards the end of the session, I asked Alexandra and Liam to simply stand against the wall and embrace; as with the first session, the result was stunning. The flow of lines between their two bodies, combined with the placement of their hands builds the image into a veritable study of intimacy. Digital infrared, 18 image stitch