When on an expedition I am looking for the intersection of design and pattern working in harmony with nature or within remote cultures. I utilize my years of studio photography and love of adventure to evoke emotion from the scenes I capture using texture and form and maximizing the most minute of details.
I aim to create images that harness specific aspects of a location or that celebrate distinctive cultures to the best of my documentary ability while also never compromising on aesthetics. Working in fashion taught me that there is a give and take between artfulness and celebrating the subject that, when developed together in the field, is the recipe for my photographic practice.
Below are some of my favorite examples across all of my series highlighting the intersection between mother nature and her incredible design:
Location: Newport, RI
I watched the world famous racing yachts American Eagle, Intrepid, Victory ‘83, and Courageous chart their course across the open seas. From my aerial vantage point, it looked as if the ocean was an endless, empty canvas. The boats glided effortlessly, like paintbrushes over a blank cerulean canvas, while singular lines of foam in their wake was the paint tracing each trajectory. While the trails were ephemeral, I sought out their pattern in order to memorialize their existence on camera.
Location: amargue, France
While photography has always been my main focus as an artist, I often look beyond the medium for inspiration. I specifically love modern painters, and when I saw the salt water clinging to the white manes of these horses, I recognized a reference that spanned decades. The gentle tousle of the mane encased in the twist was sculpted by the marshy salt water and looked painterly and abstract – much like many of my favorite modern artists and a definitive part of the Camargue horses’s otherworldly appeal.
Location: rand Teton National Park
The swaths of multi-colored trees that lined Grand Teton National Park overwhelmed me. It looked like someone had reached down and painted them in thick stripes rendering them miraculously hued. I woke up one morning and noticed snow had added an ombre effect creating a new design that would disappear as the sun crawled over the ridge and warmed up everything in the valley below. Before the light changed I rushed to document the scene in front of me, knowing that this moment was a perfect example of mother nature at her finest.
Location: Sossusvlei, Namibia
I walked miles up and down the sand dunes of Namibia looking for the perfect composition. While the forms of the sand were integral to the images, the light was also of the utmost importance, and finding a union of the two became my mission. When I came across this formation in front of me I settled in to wait for the perfect light to complete the image in my mind’s eye. Hours later, the sun revealed the perfect silky light layered across the velvet sand dunes endlessly unfolding in front of me.
Location: Reynisfjara, Iceland
Prior to traveling to Iceland I spent months researching locations. The volcanic rock columns bordering the black sand beach in a thick, perfectly formed sculptural amphitheatre was one of the areas of most interest to me because it is a union of many of the extraordinary qualities of this territory. From the colors of the land to the horses, Iceland is one of the most unique places on Earth. With this white horse framed in stark contrast against the black rock, I was enchanted by the glow of his coloring and his confidence and posture. Capturing these horses against the most outstanding natural sights was the only way to relay the beauty of the marriage between these animals and their home.