I started taking pictures when I was in high school with a pentax k1000 35mm film camera. Never seriously did much, but enjoyed the process and always thought there was more to be had. Underpinning all of this has been my life long desire to learn more spurred on by curiosity. I have spent hours and days woodworking, building treehouses, brewing beer, playing trumpet, practicing basketball, writing code, and studying astronomy. The common thread I find in all of this is the desire to learn more. I have tried to cultivate many of these passions to explore further. I’m not the best at any of them, have zero desire to become the best, and that’s okay. However, I know now that the people who dismissed my many hobbies couldn’t understand why I was shifting focus. Is there an interest you’ve been putting off because you felt unqualified? I encourage you to move out and try it.

Through college and into my adult life photography of vacations, children, pets and weddings were always present, and as I switched gear from film to digital, and SLR to mirrorless I became obsessed with the equipment I used along the way. I enjoy the technology and learning more about what is available and how to use it, but I was never very serious or deliberate about the artistic side of this. The photos I took were a way to show a faster lens or more pixels on the frame rather than try to tell a visual and compelling story. My goal in this project is to amplify my ability to try and tell a story and share the love of all that nature has to offer.

This project is the beginning of what I believe to be an inflection point to my photography. Through the embrace and structure of Ansel Adams’ photographs, and the drive for conservation, appreciation, meditation, and artistry of nature. I hope to take the moment more seriously, and focus in that moment outside.