Portfolio
Ten years chasing light across South America and beyond — from the granite spires of Patagonia to hidden waterfalls deep in the Amazon.
Tree Graffiti
A chaotic symmetry captured in wood. I took this photo after heavy rain, which further saturated the natural colors, and added a slight sheen to the wood.
Heart of the Tree
I was drawn to the way the red and orange tones in this image almost glow when contrasted with the whites. Some images work based primarily on unique compositions — in this case, the contrast of colors does the work of holding the viewer’s attention.
Life Cycles
Peru
An image made to showcase the contrast between these bright pink flowers which had fallen onto beds of dead ferns in the rainforest in Peru. One can almost feel the softness of the flower petals when contrasted with that of the dried out dead ferns.
Rainforest Dance
Carretera Austral, Chile
A fallen fuchsia flower perched atop a bed of ferns in the temperate rainforest along the Carretera Austral in Chile.
Brown and Yellow
A striking contrast of colors in a tree trunk.
Ice Prism
An image showcasing the many textures and shades that can be found in ice. Photographed on the edge of a river during Autumn in El Chaltén, Argentina.
Icy Glare
More abstract images tend to be a challenge in that finding focal points may be a bit less obvious. Not always, but focal points tend to be successful when they offer something predictable, or familiar in terms of how they are shaped. Triangular mountain peaks, a human figure, ovular lakes… In this scene, the focal point I found, photographed from this angle, almost appears to be an eye, trapped in the ice, staring up towards the sky.
Yin Yang
Ice forming on the lake traps these fallen lenga leaves in the water. I loved the contrast between the aquamarine of the lake and fiery orange of the leaves. The end of fall and beginning of winter, captured in one.
Shades
I usually gravitate towards curves when seeking out compositions. I find that creating images which are linear and angular is easier to pull off, but generally makes for predictable, flat compositions. This image, divided into segments in a linear fashion, and being shot in a very head on, flat way, felt unique to me in that it lacked curves altogether. Of all the images in my wood series, it stands out because of this. Rather than attempting to create a series of leading lines to move the eye around the image, the more simplistic design of the composition allows the viewer to focus on the most unique element the scene presents: the amazing variety of color contrasts juxtaposed in the trunk.
Galaxies in Wood
One of my personal favorites. A close up of amazing colors and textures in a tree. I tend to be quite critical of my own work, but this image is one of the few that couldn’t really be improved in any way. Color, composition, uniqueness, simplicity… It’s hard to ask for more.
Smoke Swirls in Wood Grain
Of all of my images of wood grain, this may be my favorite. This particular tree had a section about 4 feet long of textures like this. I struggled to find a composition which captured the textures in a pleasing composition, and revisited the scene several times before finding this one. With the help of a macro lens, it’s often easier to spot compositions than with the naked eye. Scenes like these often take patience and experimentation to perfect. Although I have an intuitive sense when it comes to recognizing something’s photographic potential, it often takes repeated attempts for me to tease out the image that hides in the scene.
Riverside Palette
Northern Michigan, USA
This photo was taken while exploring waterfalls in Northern Michigan. While I tend to focus on photographing larger landscapes, it’s always fun to try and create a striking image out of something simple, such as leaves and bubbles. Unlike landscape images, which depend on amazing light and scenery to work, images like this are engaging because of their vibrant colors, varying textures, and visual flow.
Rainbow Tree
This image shows the many colors and textures of a tree trunk. This tree had likely been through forest fires, which stripped it of its bark, leaving the wood underneath visible. The blue tones in the lower part of the image are the result of the photo being taken while the sun was directly behind the tree. I returned to take the photo on a rainy day, thinking that the colors might be even more saturated when the wood was wet, but discovered that the blue tones were far more grey under the changed lighting conditions.
Rainforest Details
The incredible textures and colors in these leaves were what originally grabbed my attention while hiking through the Rainforest. But figuring out how to photograph the leaves in a compelling composition proved difficult. After studying the images I had taken on my first attempt, I realized that the scene, when photographed from the right angle, held various triangles and diagonal lines. These added a sense of structure to the image, and transformed a cluttered but intriguing patch of leaves into a compelling composition.
Sprinkles on Icing
El Chaltén, Patagonia, Argentina
Lenga leaves sit atop frosty textures found in ice alongside a freezing autumn river. Having photographed many large scale scenes from Chaltén, I made this image in hopes of showing some of the smaller details we often overlook in the Patagonian landscape.
Lenga Leaves on Wet Stone
Cerro Torre, Patagonia, Argentina
Climbing up the edge of a stream which cascaded down the side of a mountain, I scouted for vantage points which might allow for a perspective of a waterfall, autumn forests, and mount Cerro Torre, off in the distance. While I didn’t find that which I was envisioning, I found this instead. A reminder that while there is nothing wrong with setting our sights on the grand, we should never fail to appreciate the details which lay at our feet.