I have been making photographs since childhood, borrowing my Mom's Kodak Brownie when I managed to save up for film and prints. Yet it wasn't until I received my first SLR as a college graduation present that I truly fell in love with photography. Avidly shooting black & white and slide film and reading many books on photographic technique, I learned the fundamentals of photography and embarked on an exciting avocation. When Digital Photography emerged in the early 2000's my long practice was taken to a new level as I threw myself even more deeply into the techniques and artistry of making images.
In addition to photography I have long loved painted art. In particular, I have studied the work of the 18th and 19th century European masters of representational painting, with particular interest in landscape and interiors. The masters' use of specific composition and lighting styles has been a powerful influence on my artistic development as a photographer.
In the field, I apply painterly principles of composition and use of light when creating an image in-camera. Later, in the "digital darkroom", I use computer software to subtly accent aspects of the captured image in support of the painterly vision I had in the field. I never use artificial looking computer generated effects. Rather, my process uses the computer to subtly influence the images according a painterly ideal while always remaining true to the character and beauty of a realistic photograph.
Much of my artistry and technique is self taught, though I've also studied at Maine Media Workshop and College, Boston's School of the Museum of Fine Arts, and various workshops. My work was recently part of a curated exhibit at the Portland Museum of Art, is used in online travel promotion, and is part of private collections throughout New England.
Very best regards,
~Mark