At the age of twelve, I
made my first trip into the Sierra Nevada and was deeply impressed and intrigued by the grandeur of
these mountains.
I returned to
Texas, knowing that someday I would return to the “Range of
Light”.
Fortuitously, my family moved to Pasadena, California in 1962
and the
mountains, which lived in my memory, were again within reach. In high
school, I met new friends who were also mountaineers: They took me
under their wing, taught me to climb and put me on a path toward the
understanding of the ways of mountains.
After a
tour of duty in the US Air Force, I returned to the hills. The year was 1971. I purchased a 35mm Canon camera, which became a constant companion. My goal:
To commit to film the sense of enveloping light, and tremendous energy of
the Sierra.
In 1975, while a student at Columbia College,
I took
part in a climbing expedition to the Andes in Peru. This was a pivotal
time in my development as a photographer. I realized that each moment in
time possessed unique qualities-never to come again. The result of this
realization was a sharpening of my ability to really see what was
happening within the viewfinder.
During
the course of years, the focus of my work continues to be the Sierra and
its environs, in their many moods. Today, I use 6x4.5cm and 4x5 inch
cameras to record my impressions of this vast and varied mountain range
for my personal enjoyment and that of others.
