Waterfalls Q&A
By popular demand from fans and collectors, here’s a quick Q&A about the latest collection, Waterfalls. These images were made in 2022 in California, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado. This collection has already been recognized with international awards and press including 1st Place/Photographer of the Year in the 2023 Minimalist Photo Awards. Go behind the scenes and learn more about where this collection came from and how it was photographed.
Waterfall I
How did the idea for the series begin?
My work has progressed over the years to be quite minimalist. I see so many photographs that are a one-off feeling of “what a beautiful place in beautiful light.” I don’t find these photographs to be engaging, compelling, or very artistic. I have always sought to convey emotion more than anything else. I was inspired by other photographer’s minimalist work as well as painter David Rothko’s Color Fields series which are stark and moody. I wanted a series of images that sparked a dialogue between myself and the viewer in a way that they had to physically and psychologically interact with the work to make the entire image whole. I am drawn more and more to photograph scenes that feel almost empty, yet have a strong emotionality and physicality to them. I realized that if I photographed scenes at night I would end up with a low-contrast image with almost nothing visible but the figure of the falls.
On developing the minimalistic style for this project
I have always been attracted to minimalist art and inspired by minimalist artists in all mediums like Rothko, Ad Reinhardt, Philip Glass, and Hiroshi Sugimoto. There is something powerful about striping away everything extra and coming forward with a clear vision and emotion. In my work each progress series has become more minimal, emotional, and figurative and less literal. This project is really about the figure of the waterfall against negative space. The shape of the water becomes the subject.
Waterfall IX
Waterfall VII
Why are they titled this way?
Each image is titled with a roman numeral, corresponding to the order in which it was photographed. This collection isn’t about the locations, so I saw no need to title them based on where the photograph was made. It’s not about the location, but the waterfall itself. Instead, I wanted each to maintain some mystery, to test viewers to find out where it may be, whether they’ve been there, and if by filling in the details of the image, they know the location.
When and how are the photographs made?
I spend hours researching every week—locations, subjects, ideas, getting inspiration. Most of these photographs were made before I ever left the house. Using Google Earth and Google Images I was able to decipher where to stand and at what time I should take the photograph. I selected a series of waterfalls that were notable and well-known locations as well as falls which had particularly beautiful shapes or surroundings, even if they were lesser known falls.
The photographs are made about 45 minutes after sunset. Photography enthusiasts may think of this as “blue hour” but in fact when I am photographing these falls is not exactly blue hour. Envision the last few minutes the sky has any blue hue in it, and the last few minutes you can see without an external light source. Most of these images were made in that time—just before the stars are visible. Not strictly night, but well past sunset.
What’s it like photographing and being in such a wild landscape at night?
When you remove the extra stimuli from your environment you really begin to appreciate the power of these falls. Waterfalls are LOUD. You lose a sense of your surroundings which is particularly unnerving at night. Given the time I was photographing these, I had many nights of walking back 2, 3, 4 miles to the car alone with just a camera on my back and headlamp on my head. It was lonely hiking!
There was nothing more spooky than seeing the telltale glow of eyes within the beam of the headlamp. Lucky for me it was only ever our friends like elk or deer. Luckily, never bears!
Waterfall VII
I imagine there is a fine line between too dark, too light, and just right for the prints. How hard is it to make these prints?
They are very difficult to print. I have done two artists proofs and test strips for every image and each one required everything from small tweaks to broad changes to get the image correct. I have worked tirelessly to make sure my artistic vision comes through in the final prints by working with my printers to test different acrylic, different papers, different corrections, and different presentation methods to display the final images. These continue to be the hardest prints I’ve ever had to make and each one is tested and printed until it’s right for my collectors—which makes the final image even more satisfying to deliver.
Waterfall II