30 years ago I made a photograph of the ballet dancer Christopher Aponte with a 4×5 film camera. At the time I felt it was a mistake because I had technical malfunctions and only one light source exposed the film and it came out extremely contrasty.
That mistake was one of the most defining moments of my career because I felt like it worked in a way that has shaped much of my fine art work.
I find myself drawn towards the shape that started it all as I look at the botanical studies I have done in the forest up at Priest Lake.
I think about this today as I begin teaching a Nature and Landscape Photography workshop. One definition of Nature vs. Landscape is that nature photography is focused on the flora and fauna. I think humans qualify as fauna and in these images I see a strong correlation between the lines and shapes created by both.
Happy Friday!
Ira
