I came into fine art photography over 20 years ago because of my love of nature and desire to express my interpretation of it, and have been photographing extensively since then. My images are not mere representations of nature, but rather interpretations of the emotions I felt when creating them. While I strive to present photographs that are true to what really exists in nature, I am always looking for ways to enhance the artistic quality of each and every image I create. Many of my photographs are only complete after further interpreting the mood/composition using the computer.
In college I earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in physical geography and ecology, and had the opportunity to study the physical landscapes I now photograph.
I am entirely self-taught, preferring to do my learning behind a camera. Since 1985 I have produced 10,000 – 15,000 photographs a year. Almost from the beginning, I have used a large format camera for my work, and in 1990, I added medium format to my equipment. Then about five years ago I have been using very high quality, digital cameras. These cameras create exceptional fine art images.
Although I sell images to all sorts of markets, the bulk of my enthusiasm is spent producing prints for the fine art market. My prints have been shown and sold in several national galleries. Today I continue to have my work accepted for several national juried exhibitions and have won numerous awards, including the prestigious Westmorland Art Nationals “Photograph of the Year”, and International Garden Photographer of the Year the last two years. I sell hundreds of photographs/prints each year, and have published five books and 17 sole photographer nature calendars. Currently, I am working on a book of fine art photographs entitled, " Lightdances Across The Landscape," and am devoting my full time efforts to producing fine art images.
View my entire portfolio at: www.fratesphoto.com
