Intrinsic to nature are the phenomena of regeneration, continuity, and rebirth. Echoing the butterfly's journey from pupa to imago, Metamorphosis transcends the static tendency of photography and infuses breath into a medium that is often bound by a fraction of a moment.

There is always magic encircling us: in nature, in one another, and in ourselves. I discovered that magic in the darkroom while creating my first silver gelatin print. This time, however, because the generation of analog color images requires the complete absence of light, I could not witness the image emerge. I was learning a new art of metamorphosis, that like many transformations, arises out of a place of total darkness. Similarly, in our own lives, we must endure times of unseeing before we experience the mysterious unfolding of a truer and more colorful self.

My love of the abstract paintings of Emma Lindstrom and the works of impressionists such as Claude Monet guided me along my journey into the world of color. Using a slow shutter speed allowed me to suffuse the images with energy and imprint a stream of moments onto a single print. In these light paintings, the subjects themselves are the painters, painting the photographic canvas—my 35mm film negative—with their movement.

The Reverence series explores the universal interdependence of all living things through glimpses into the rural villages of Northern Thailand. These photographs pay homage to the ancient practices and understandings of reciprocity, mindfulness, and honor for the web of life still present in these places so deeply and directly connected to the earth. The ancient wisdom of humans and animals alike beckons us to wake up and remember, no matter where we live, we are still and forever bound to the land and to one another.

Original prints created with nature’s lightroom (sun rays)

Esse | 'esē, 'ese | n. essential nature or essence

ORIGIN mid-16th cent.: Latin, literally 'to be'

Esse was inspired by the expression of essence. This series comprises long exposure analog photographs of people expressing themselves through movement—of people just being who they are. Each person photographed in this series chose a cherished piece of music to move to and was encouraged to let go of attention to appearance, performance, and even gender, and to simply move their body freely through space as the music flowed through them. The root of essence, esse: ‘to be’ literally means being in motion. These images use a slow shutter speed to include the dimension of time and thereby better capture each person’s essence, each person’s authentic energy.

The salient ingredient of black and white prints, silver evokes the glowing luster of the night sky and glimmers on the winding surface of clear waters. When this lucent element is birthed in the darkroom through a dance of salts kissed by light and liquid, it brings forth an image with its creation. When silver visits us in dreams, it is often thought to symbolize the feminine, the moon, water, contemplation, and intuition. Silver is also a color of wisdom. It alludes to a slower and more deliberate, cooperative, and sapient energy needed now to repair the rifts between one another and restore balance to our living planet.

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Touching the Earth

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