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QUESTION:

I am a high school student in Indiana and I am taking a photography class this year. This semester I have moved up to digital Photography. If there is any other info about you that you think is important I would appreciate it if you gave it to me. Thanks again

ANSWER:

What techniques do you use in your digital photo work?
For black & white photography, I use what is known as a "hybrid" process involving the use of a conventional film camera, digital internegative, and convention (wet darkroom) contact printing on silver gelatin paper. I scan my original B&W negatives into the computer, and output the resulting digital files to an imagesetter, which produces a 2400dpi half-tone negative the size of my final print (usually 16" x 20"). This half-tone internegative is then contact printed in a conventional manner (using a wet darkroom) on to silver gelatin paper.

For my color photography, I use a digital snapshot camera (Canon Powershot G-3) to produce digital color files which are then manipulated within Photoshop. The finished files are output using an Epson Stylus Pro 7600 inkjet printer with Ultrachrome Inks.

What movement would you better catorgize yourself in?
Although I'm not completely certain of what you mean by "movement", I can say that with respect to my black & white work, I have previously been categorized as working in what might be referred to as the "West Coast Tradition" (Some previous practitioners of this tradition whose names you might recognize include: Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Morley Baer & Wynn Bullock). However, my more recent color work involves imagery which is decidedly not within the West Coast Tradition. So, I am happily unable to currently characterize myself within a strictly defined category.

How did you get started?
I initially became interested in photography as a way to record remembrances of camping experiences I'd had while traveling with my family on summer vacations as a young man.

who influenced you?
My influences include (among others): Paul Caponigro, Emmett Gowin, Wynn Bullock, Brett Weston, and musicians; Aaron Copland and Debussy. (I was trained as a concert pianist as a child, and thus the musical influences.)

Do you tend to philosophise more on representational, expressionism, or formalism?
My general philosophy tends toward the photograph as being a form of visual communication. To me, it matters not the style, subject matter, category, and/or treatment of a particular photograph that is important. What is important is that the photographer create images which clearly communicate to the viewer, the photographer's physical, emotional, and spiritual intent. My black & White work probably tends more toward the "representational" as it depicts well known subject matter, yet often in a very abstract way. (Of course, these abstractions would then tend to distance the work from being designated as representational). My color work probably tends more toward "expressionism", due in part to its more abstract and painterly qualities.