I have been in love with landscape photography since I took my first photograph at the age of nine from Crescent Meadow in Sequoia National Park. That single slide had me saving for my first camera, a little plastic Kodak Instamatic, which I continued to use through high school. In my early 20s I purchased a Pentax K1000 and took the rare opportunity between life and motherhood to get out and shoot, when I could afford the time as well as film and processing. In 2009 with my boys grown, I regained some independence and rediscovered my passion for landscape photography.
I now use a Pentax K-5 and K-7 digital and two Pentax lenses, with a Hoya Circular Polarizer and a Cokin Graduated ND filter as my main arsenal. I am still learning to use Photoshop, Lightroom, and some Nik software to process my shots and achieve results that bring the image as close to the actual scene (to my eye) at the moment of capture. I am not a purist in any sense of the word and though I am beginning to use it more often, will use blending or HDR, though I prefer not to work that hard at it.
For me, it is not all about the pursuit of capturing beauty of a moment in time at a particular place, nor do I attach any political motivations to my images. It is more in the adventure of being in the moment as a singular element to the scenes I feel privileged to witness. I am often humbled when I find myself without another soul around, often listening to no more than a quiet stillness, feeling the solid earth beneath my feet while gazing up at the stars. If I can convey that kind of feeling through my images, a oneness with the world, of giving the viewer the feeling of being there, albeit vicariously, I am both honored and pleased. It's been a long road getting here and I still have so much to learn, but oh, I am so loving the adventure.
