"Some photographers take reality...and impose the domination of their own thought and spirit. Others come before reality more tenderly and a photograph to them is an instrument of love and revelation."

-Ansel Adams

Like many other photographers, Ansel Adams is one of my greatest influences. His technical and aesthetic mastery of the medium were second to none. To me, this quote really underscores the depth of feeling Ansel had for his body of work. It wasn't about money or fame. It was about love-love of his work, love of the art, and love for his subjects. And that's what photography means to me.

I've always loved the outdoors and I've been fortunate enough to visit many fantastic places. I came to realize over the years that although we may perceive the outdoors as 'overcrowded', many people never get to visit these beautiful sites and experience the powerful emotions that accompany such experiences. I want to share my experience with others in an honest way-not by enhancing my images for maximum impact or better salability, but by creating an emotional still-life from these amazing places that will take your breath away, just like Ansel did 80 years ago with his first images from Yosemite.

My images are captured using a Tachihara 4"x5" field camera with Fujichrome Velvia transparency film. With this archaic and heavy setup, I travel great distances and spend long (often boring) stretches of time waiting for the right moment. If the moment isn't going to happen exactly the way I want it to (the sky is overcast, the sun is in the wrong position, bad weather, etc), I don't capture the image and return at another time to try again. It's that simple. This process can be time-consuming and tedious, but the difference really shines through in the finished images.

These relatively modest tools offer me a rich medium through which I can create fantastic images using timing, 18 years worth of skill and a little bit of luck at times. I do not use any filters on my camera other than a polarizer and a non-colored, neutral density filter to compensate for the film's inability to see the same range of light that the human eye can see. My final prints are direct reproductions of what appeared on my transparency--no color enhancement, photo manipulation or other alterations. I believe that any landscape image represented in a print should be an honest memory of what actually happened at that place in time. If you should be so fortunate as to visit some of these places that you see in my photographs, I want you to know that you could very well have an experience just like the one you see in my pictures.

Each print is carefully crafted and meticulously inspected for perfection. I stand behind the honesty of every print I make. When I put my signature at the bottom, I'm making a promise to you about the quality of that image. I want you to know that I take that promise seriously.

Integrity. Natural beauty. Simplicity. These are the qualities that my artistry embodies. It's not the easiest way to make images, but it is the way I do.