These Galleries are windows of invitation…inviting you to feel the living-processes all around us. As you view each image…pause…try to look beyond-behind-and-within the physical objects you see. Through this “beyond-behind-within” you will begin to feel the processes-of-living that surround-support-sustain those physically embedded-objects. This feeling….is the invitation of….SeeingTao.
I was born after WW-II ended, and I spent my formative adolescent years on a variety of farms. My re-creating from farming was mountaineering, philosophy and science. In the summer of 1965 I was an exchange student to Germany, and bought my first 35-mm range-finder cameras from a pawn shop, a Kodak and a Wollensak. I exposed 40-rolls of transparencies, with a humbling 90% success rate, and I was hooked. I have been working behind the lens ever since. I am neither a “landscape” photographer, nor a “nature” photographer; neither a “wildlife” photographer, nor an “abstract” photographer; neither a “studio” photographer, nor a “portrait” photographer. I am none of these, and yet all of these. When you explore my Portfolio, you will see for yourself what I mean.
The images you encounter here are the “public” portion of my work. The “private” portion is like the underbelly of a whale, more felt than seen. I do not “take” photographs. Neither do I “make” them. Similarly they do not “take” me, or “make” me. Instead they are like steps on a journey: an unfolding journey of integrating the actualities-of-living with the possibilities-of-living. They carry an evocative character that cannot be expressed in technical terms, or technical procedures. Today I use a variety of cameras, from a pocket-grade mini, to a studio-grade Large Format with a full complement of lenses. I work collaboratively with professional labs, whose processing expertise and capabilities are state-of-the-art. However, computer-aided refinement is minimal. Each image is the direct result of SeeingTao through the lens. I do not tout a particular paper or a particular printing method as “the best.” These aspects of the photographic process change rapidly with technology, and I choose between various combinations to meet specific needs. Each image will remain artistically viable for longer than a lifetime, with careful treatment and minimal exposure to the sun.
The images in my Portfolio are unnamed. I find that “naming” an image unnecessarily limits its interpretive possibilities. Instead, a unique number is associated with each image to reference its origination and development.
SEEINGTAO is a process, not an art show. This interactive process grows and changes as you live in and around the image. And you will begin to see your own images emerge from that process as well.
My pricing is a direct function of my costs of working. The prices are not designed to convey a sense of “accomplishment” or “success” or “status.” I do not use marketing ploys like “Limited Editions” to lure you with the omen of increasing prices. I try to value my work as it values me: modestly, without pretense. The only “edition” that exists publically of my work is what you see here in my Portfolio. As I change and grow, my relationship to each image changes and grows. And as an image needs to leave the Portfolio, for whatever reason, I will remove it from circulation. That is a function of my own sense of SEEINGTAO. I know it when I see it. Some images may remain in the Portfolio, yet change somewhat, as my relationship to them changes. This also is a function of my SEEINGTAO.
I have engaged the professional services of Gango Custom Printing in Portland, Oregon, to provide you with a wide variety of options to fit your needs. The link below will take you to their website, where you will find my images available. Gango provides a complete range of professional printing options, as well as mounting, matting and framing. You can choose the options that best fit your circumstances and needs.
A Process Perspective
This 21st-century translation of the ancient Chinese wisdom-metaphors of DaoDeJing explores a series of epistemological-cosmological questions starting with, “What’s happening all around us?” This project focuses on the “function” of individual characters in DaoDeJing, in terms of their relationships with their supporting characters, expanding historical-etymological English definitions. This translation+commentary makes bold suggestions, presenting surprising opportunities for engaging two quite different cultures and civilizations, particularly appropriate in this age of turmoil and divisiveness.
The pandemic impacted everyone, even those of us living close to nature, who had space to roam and create. Stressful times, for sure. Trying to adapt to public-health needs, as well as personal limitations, meant less time in-the-field, and more time in my head. The DaoDeJing book continues good reception in mainland China, although it…
It’s February now, and I’m feeling a bit anxious about upgrading my website from a Flash-based format to a WordPress-based one. I hoped it would be easy, but it hasn’t been. My web-guru has been working to ensure things function properly, and I have partnered with a local custom printing service (Gango Custom Printing, www.GangoCustomPrinting.com…
The winter of 2017-2018 proved to offer some great special-weather shooting…cold, but with innovative lighting, and rare (for the American Pacific Northwest) subject compositions. I had recently upgraded my Leaf Aptus MFDB to a Credo-60, plus I had the great good fortune of trading my Hassy Flexbody for a Silvestri Flexicam. That was one wondrous…
