A Sudden Burst of Inspiration: Palm Trees

There was a time I was really feeling despondent, like life didn't really matter. No matter what I did, I just couldn't be happy. However, one morning that changed when I was stepping out my old complex getting ready to go to my old job. I noticed a ray of light bathing the palm trees in the morning. To say I was ecstatic was an understatement. I felt as though God's fingers were touching the earth. I didn't care if I was a little late to work. I had to get my camera out and capture the moment.

This wasn't the first time I took photos of palms. These were taken a couple years back.

Flowers, Flowers, Everywhere

Flowers are one of my favorite subjects to photograph. They come in so many different shapes and colors. I couldn't imagine a world without flowers. The above photos holds a special place in my heart, as it's the first flower photo I ever took, back when I lived in New Mexico. Many of the other flower photos on this post are from when I lived in Utah. When they say stop and smell the flowers, it's wise to do so. So often we are so caught up in our mundane lives, trying to rush to work or go out for recreational activities, that we forget to notice the inherent beauty around us. Take a break from your busy life, be mindful of your surrounds, and look at the flowers. You may just be awed. Speaking of being observant. Do you notice anything interesting about the rose flower below?

At a Nudist Resort

As the viewer knows, one of my passions is shooting nudes. But why nudes? Why not clothed people?

Perhaps I can best explain in terms of cities and landscapes. I'm also asked why I don't shoot photos of skyscrapers. Again, it goes back to nature in and of itself looking so beautiful. While there are some beautiful skyscrapers, and some nice roadways, pavement, concrete, and high rises can't compare to the beauty of nature and all it's splendors. The skyline of Chicago, LA, or New York, even though looking beautiful when lit up at night, or in the evening, can't compare to New Mexico's Sandia Mountains covered in snow during the winter, or being bathed by the setting sun. Nor can Tokyo compare with majestic Mountain Fuji covered in a blanket of clouds. A meadow of flowers during spring time is going to look much more appealing to most people than a strip of Las Vegas. The same goes for the human body. Just as buildings can cover the natural beauty of the earth, clothing can cover the natural beauty of the human body. There's a tendency to think our bodies are shameful, vile, and disgusting. But this is not the case, and nudists know this better than anyone else.

At the Florida Young Naturist Bash I was honored to hone my craft, by photographing many young nudists who were more than willing to pose. Many of these people are good friends, to the extant I see them like family. Many of them are completely naked, but for a few articles of clothing, and the wristbands they had to wear for the event.

Nudists groups are not sex orgies by any means. In fact, overt sexual behavior is frowned upon. They are not very sexy, these events. However, it'd be wrong to say that they aren't intimate. They are intimate in terms as being like a close family who loves and respects each other. Everyone feels like brothers and sisters. It truly is beautiful. 

It's no secret, I'm influenced by paintings I've seen, and the photography of other great photographers. I see if I can learn from each of them. With many of these photos I was going for a sense of peace and serenity, like a lost Garden of Eden. 

Nudes Part 1

Why nudes? Why not clothed people? Simply because there is something about the human body unadorned that is absolutely beautiful being in it's natural state. Rather than accentuating beauty, I feel that more often than naught clothing hides beauty. Imagine if you will a pristine landscape of woods, rivers, mountains, and hills, only to be built over with concrete buildings and roads. The landscape loses it's natural beauty. I feel that the body is like a magnificent landscape in it's own nature, and when when covered in fabric is loses some of that beauty. Both male and female alike have their own beauty to them that is admirable. At the moment, I have to contact the last male model I used to get permission to post his images. In the future, I hope to get some more male nudes for my site. But until then, here are a couple of female models who worked with me on my craft. They were both wonderful.

When shooting a nude, I want to capture someone's grace and dignity. I never want to take a photo that is degrading in any way. It should be a photo that the model would not be ashamed to show to friends and family. Everyone has self-worth, and everyone deserves respect. I hope my work shows that.

                                 

Alaska

Though I live in Florida, I have been privileged to take a cruise to Alaska. It was during this cruise that I was able to take beautiful pictures of Alaska and Canada.

A friend of mine said "Alaska is where God's fingers touch the earth." She might be right. I'd even say the same for Canada, which is similar in many ways. Though Alaska's a cold state much of the time, and Canada can get very cold, they are both extremely beautiful. They are where the dreams of a fine-art photographer come to life, inspiring him/her to create. The above photo was taken when I was taking a train ride from Alaska to Canada. I won't go into too many words about Canada and Alaska. I'll let the images speak for themselves.

Why I Chose Photography

Life is hard at times, this much is true. It's full of broken dreams, broken hearts, sickness, poverty, greed, and, worse, child abuse, racism, sexism, hatred, and war.  We try to cope with all of life's ugliness in different ways. Everyone has a coping mechanism for the harsh realities of life. Mine is fine-art photography.

I grew interested in the craft of photography when I was only a teenager in high school. I came across the works of many brilliant photographers, showing me that good photography was an art on par with painting, drawing, and sculpture. Two of these photographers really inspired me.They were Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, contemporaries in the the first half of the 20th century. I was amazed at Adams' and Weston's prowess using the lens to capture such powerful images. Adams could shoot such amazing landscapes, from a moon shining over New Mexico, to trees in the fog, to towering Mount Yosemite, giving the viewer a sense of awe and respect for nature. Weston, on the other hand, could shoot close ups of things that others would deem drab and boring, such as peppers, shells, and cabbage leaves, but was able to bring out such detail that it was like looking at the world in a whole new way. His nudes were also incredible. It wasn't long before I picked up a camera and tried taking powerful pictures myself. My first photos were dull, to put it mildly. However, by the time I reached my late twenties, I was growing considerably more skilled. To this day I have a lot to learn, and I am nowhere near as skilled as Adams, Weston, or any of the other greats, but I hope to continually grow and learn.

As I have dabbled in the art of fine-art photography, I have always found it to be a spiritual experience, akin to going to church. I feel close to God when I create beautiful works of art though photography. It's as if I'm being given a small taste of the creation process. It's through this hobby that I feel sorrows melt away, in which my depression is alleviated to a great extant and all is made right with the world.

I primarily photograph these five subjects, and they are animals, landscapes, flowers, nudes, and religious structures. Why these five instead of cars, clothed portraiture, cars, fashion models, and city-scapes? Simpy put, I find a beauty to them. To see God's world without towering skyscrapers and urban sprawl is an ointment to soothe the weary soul, especially since we sadly seem to keep sprawling out, losing more and more precious nature. But just as panoramic landscape looks amazing, there is also something just as complex as a flower such as a lily or a daisy, or of any kind of animal. As for nudes, Michaelangelo said it best when he stated, "What spirit is so empty and blind, that it cannot recognize the fact that the foot is more noble than the shoe, and the skin more beautiful than the garment with which it is clothed." An unadorned body, naked, is beautiful and not obscene. I see it similar to a landscape without buildings, both of them radiating in their natural splendor. The only buildings that really interest me are religious structures. I see them as the exception to the rule. Whether it's a cathedral, a Mormon temple, a hindu temple, or a Shinto or Buddhist shrine, a synagogue, a Mosque, or an old chapel, there is something beautiful and divine about these structures which people constructed out of praise and devotion to their god, that I can't help but feel inspired and moved with extreme admiration.


There is so much ugliness that I want my photography, for the most part, to express joy and beauty - though who knows, as maybe someday I'll photograph the darker elements of life. Regardless, I hope that my work, though not at a level of perfection, will still inspire all those who view it, providing them with a sense of awe and appreciation.