Coming from a hybrid engineering/science/artistic background, I remember one of my painting teachers who questioned me why I had drawn a tree in the middle of the painting. My answer was, because it was there! He explained that as an artist, I had license to do what I wanted, including removing the tree if that was going to help my composition. I was supposed to create my own composition. I do love the environment, work on it and help modify it in a sustainable way. However, when I see future photographs, I see forms, shapes, tones, lines, rhythm, and how best I can represent what I want to see in a photo using those elements of design. The challenge I have had several times is that nature has already done the composition for me, my job is to look for it and find it. While I photograph everything, I do feel attracted to shooting landscapes. Unlike photojournalists who can create their own composition (many times), my time is spent looking for that pre-arranged composition nature made for me. That is why I do not like digital photo manipulation and Photoshop. I have learned over the years, that my best photos are the ones of the subjects I like, so I try to shoot things that I like. I actually do my art for one client only: ME. So, I know what the client wants (most of the times). I do admire Ansel Adams because of that easiness to find the composition nature made for us. He had the right eye, and he was an ecologist.
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