Tunnel Vision

As an artist who primarily concentrates in landscape photography, I had always dreamed of hiking and photographing Yosemite National Park. This location is famous for its granite peaks, tall trees, gorgeous valleys, countless nature-made wonders and seemingly infinite photographic possibilities. While planning for the trip, I found it difficult to settle on how to photograph this iconic park. I felt that it had all been done before, yet the idea of visiting and making artwork of Yosemite was beyond exciting to me.

Ansel Adams was the focus for my inspiration, but I still needed to develop a fresh method of depicting the parks features in a new light. Known for their minimal controls and soft focus lenses, I chose plastic and antique film cameras for this trip. My aim was to use the cameras to create painterly images of the park utilizing blurred lines, colors, and values. Moreover, this would further distance my work from other imagery being made in the modern digital age.

The images that would result far exceeded my expectations. I saw the landscape rendered in a smooth and dreamlike state. All of my planning and exploration had yielded a work that I was more than happy to call my own. In the end, I felt that I had achieved my goal. I forged my own way and created artistic images in one of the most iconic, beautiful, and inspirational locations on Earth.